It's that time again - the grunion run on the beach in San Pedro.
Made famous by "Three's Company" and the "Three Stooges," the grunion run is one of the most amazing natural phenomenon you'll ever get to see.
Small fish swim and twist onto shore to mate and lay eggs and then go back into the see.
The effect is peculiar to Southern California and happens only March through July. The no-catch, no-touch season last through June and then you can only catch them with your bare hands, no buckets or nets.
"Some people eat them. I hear they are good if you dep fry them and make them crispy," said Juliette McAllister of the
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. But she also said she wouldn't eat them.
For only the second time, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is having a Fish-tival at 7 p.m. Thursday night to celebrate the grunion run.
Click here for the full details.• The programs starts at 7.
• A short film explains the process.
• Participants get a jar filled with saltwater and watch a grunion egg hatch before their eyes.
• By 11 p.m. everyone goes out to the beach as the fish appear as naturalists are posted to answer any questions.
"They almost seems to know we can't touch them," Juliette said.
The fish come in at the highest tide, a
male wrap himself around a female, already partly buried in the sand, to fertilize the eggs. Then at another high tide, the eggs are washed out to see and turn into fish. And the circle of life continues.
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