| GRUNION
STUDY IN ORANGE COUNTY
Grunion
Greeters experience a grunion run and witness the remarkable
behavior of the silvery little fish as they come completely
ashore to spawn. Volunteers monitor Orange County beaches
and collect basic information for about two hours during a
grunion run. Greeters submit observations via an online form
and a phone “hotline” and the data are used by
Pepperdine University researchers.
Newport
Peak spawning season typically occurs from April through early
June. The grunion runs occur late at night, twice a month,
after the highest tides associated with a full or new moon.
Greeters pick the night(s) and beach(es) to monitor.
All
Grunion Greeters must attend a workshop.
Background:
Grunion (Leuresthes tenuis), one of the few marine fish that
spawn completely out of water, are restricted to a narrow,
long distribution in coastal California and Baja California.
Their populations are difficult to assess because they are
not caught in trawls—typically we only see them during
spawning runs. After concern that beach grooming practices
were harming grunion eggs during spawning season, the first
systematic study of the impact of humans on the sandy beach
habitat of this unique fish was conducted in 2002. The study
involved a massive collaboration of concerned residents, the
San Diego City Council, the San Diego Park and Recreation
Department, numerous scientists and organizations, and hundreds
of volunteers. The results effected significant and lasting
change in official beach grooming procedures in San Diego
and many other municipalities throughout southern California.
A 2003 study continued and expanded this work with the ultimate
goal of long-term population assessment. The project increased
the visibility of this charismatic species and public awareness
of sandy beaches as wildlife habitats. In 2004 the Grunion
Greeter project expanded beyond the City of San Diego to beaches
of San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara,
and Monterey Counties.
This 2005 project will contribute to a new three-year study,
funded by California Sea Grant College, the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, and NOAA, to test whether grunion
may be useful as environmental indicators on sandy beaches
in southern California. Grunion Greeter observations will
be an important component of the study used by a team of Pepperdine
University researchers determining the ecological health of
our sandy beaches.
Project
Director: Dr. Karen Martin (kmartin@pepperdine.edu)
Senior Program Officer: Melissa Studer (melissastuder@san.rr.com)
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