JAIMIE FRANKLIN
Assistant News Editor
While thousands of students, residents and tourists frolic across Southern California’s sunny beaches each day, few consider the impact they have upon creatures dwelling in the sand and the nearby waters.
Dr. Karen Martin, a Pepperdine marine biology professor, however, has spent years meticulously studying our beach ecosystems and initiating change in maintenance practices across California.
Martin has established an annual conference that has met at Pepperdine since 2004. The Ecological Sensitive Beach Management Working Group consists of about 40 beach managers and coastal scientists who meet to discuss beach grooming practices and the impact they have on the wide variety of species found across the California coast. This year’s conference was held in January.
Most of Martin’s work has centered on the California grunion fish. Grunions are found only in California and some parts of Baja California, Mexico. They are infamous for their spawning methods, in which they completely leave the water and lay eggs in the sand. The eggs incubate out of water for two weeks before hatching in high tide and swimming out to sea.
Problems arise, however, when beach grooming occurs. In many cities, beaches are cleaned by simply dragging giant rakes across the sand. In 2002, Martin conducted a study in San Diego to determine whether these methods damage the eggs. Not surprisingly, her study concluded that maintenance methods are harmful to the grunion population.
But the solution is simple. Working with the city of San Diego, Martin helped initiate legislation to change beach grooming practices. Rakes now remove trash only above the high tide line in the dry, sandy portions of beach during grunion season, April through June.
“In general what we had in San Diego was a relatively benign practice,” said Dennis Simmons, beach manager for the city of San Diego. “Part of the things Karen and the cooperative effort brought about is that now we know the extent of the grunion population and we’re able to much more consciously deal with habitat grooming.”
According to Martin, protecting the limited number of grunion found only in California is key to maintaining the natural ecosystem. Grunion feed on zooplankton (microscopic organisms that graze on algae) and in turn are consumed by larger fish such as halibut, sharks, dolphins, sea lions and coastal birds.
“If we can’t manage to protect the grunion on our beaches, there is no where else they can go. This is the only place,” Martin said. “It’s our responsibility to maintain the habitat.”
Martin also created an organization dedicated to studying grunion behavior. Grunion Greeters focuses on various scientific aspects of the grunion and documents spawning as a potential indicator for the ecological health of beaches. Students are encouraged to volunteer in grunion runs beginning next month to witness thousands of fish spawning out of water.
Grunion are not the only creatures affected by trash and pollution on our shores and in the Santa Monica Bay. According to Sarah Abramson, a staff scientist at Heal the Bay, a nonprofit organization concerned with water pollution, trash and plastic debris on the beach and in the water can be harmful to all species populations.
Animals are entangled in fishing line and other debris, causing lacerations that can completely remove limbs. Trash also mimics food for many animals, with water-resistant plastic serving as a sponge to absorb toxins in the water, leading to malnutrition and poisoning.
“Especially in Southern California we’re such a beach central environment,” Abramson said. “It’s really important to maintain the beach so people can enjoy seeing the natural ecosystem and maintain the culture of Southern California.”
The Southern California culture also depends heavily on tourism. Millions of visitors from around the world make the pilgrimage to beaches each year, generating billions of dollars in revenue. With millions of visitors come thousands of tons of trash. An average of 120 tons of garbage is removed from San Diego beaches on July 5th each year, according to Simmons, who described it as an “ongoing and constant maintenance battle.”
Simmons said part of the trash problem can be attributed to lack of consideration but that most of it is a logistical issue.
“I don’t think people are absent-mindedly throwing trash in the sand,” he said. “It’s that there are so many people on the beach that trashcans get overfull. We can’t go driving down the middle of the beach in the afternoon. For the most part trash is brought to trashcans and at least put next to it.”
Much progress can still be made. At this year’s conference Martin proposed creating a non-profit organization to continue improving beach maintenance because the current conference group is funded only by temporary grant money.
“We’re at a very early stage for the whole idea of beach ecology,” Martin said. “It’s time to be serious about it.”
So next time you decide to sunbathe at Zuma with friends, consider the consequences of leaving behind those cans and plastic food wrappers.
“Recognize that it’s an ecosystem,” Martin said. “Kelp on the ground is food for somebody.”
Factbox:
- Grunion are only found in California and Baja California and are one of the only species of fish to breed completely out of water.
- Traditional beach grooming methods and excessive trash left on the beach threatens their natural habitat.
- Grunion season is April through June, when thousands of fish wash up on shore in the middle of the night to lay eggs in the sand.
After three weeks of incubation, the grunion eggs hatch during high tide and swim out to sea.
04-05-2007
