Some Newport Beach fishermen claim the city’s efforts to keep the beach clean are killing off the grunion.
Verna Fath
and other anglers said the small, silvery fish aren’t plentiful as in year’s last. During the grunion spawning season in
spring and summer, they’ve seen the city’s tractor-like beach
cleaners plow through low-tide areas near Balboa Pier, churning up
fish eggs.
“I can understand wanting to make the beach look nice, but not at this cost,” Fath told the Daily Pilot.
City officials deny these claims and say they never
use the city’s heavy-duty beach-cleaning equipment in the wet sand,
where grunion wash up on the beach and lay their eggs at night during high tides.
Although it’s illegal for anglers to catch the
grunion with a line, it doesn’t stop the fish from nibbling on Fath’s
snag line, she said. She’s become adept over the years in knowing when
the grunion are biting and when they’re not.
Newport’s
General Services Director Mark Harmon said Tuesday that the city
consults with a marine biologist from Pepperdine University on when
grunion are spawning in the area. City workers are instructed never to use the
city’s beach cleaners in wet sand, where grunion might lay their eggs.
The
city uses large tractors that each have a plow-like device attached to
them that sifts and churns the sand to scoop up things such as cigarette
butts and shards of broken glass.
— Brianna Bailey
Photo: Daily Pilot