VENTURA : Grunion Run Due to Begin Saturday

State park officials are forecasting ideal conditions for a four-day grunion run beginning Saturday night at most of the flat, sandy beaches along the Ventura County coast.

Park rangers say the first wave of silvery fish will appear about 11:18 p.m. Saturday, and the run will continue for two hours.

“They’re coming up onto the beach, laying eggs and then the male grunions come up and fertilize those eggs,” Ranger Terese Zilke said.

Zilke said children under 16 are allowed to fish for the grunion without a license, but anyone 16 or over requires a valid permit. Otherwise, no license is required to hand-fish if the fish are later returned to the ocean, she said.

Grunion are unusual in that they make their way completely out of the ocean to lay their eggs, Zilke said. They typically remain out of water for a minute or longer to lay their eggs.

“They dig their tails into the sandy portion of the beach and that makes for interesting nature,” she said.

The burrowing fish will return to most of the flatter beaches in the county about five minutes before midnight on Sunday. Timetable predictions call for them to return in two-hour stretches at 12:39 a.m. Tuesday and at 1:34 a.m. Wednesday.

For more information, call 654-4744.