Anglers claim cleaning foul

Newport Beach native Vernona Fath, who goes by the nickname “Snookie,” has fished off local piers a few times a week since she was a little girl.

She catches smelt and other small fish for bait on what’s called a snag line, hoping to lure bigger fish like halibut.

Fath’s snag line, a series of small lures tied to a weighted fishing leader, used to attract numerous grunion this time of year. But, she said, the little silvery fish aren’t as plentiful as in years past.

Fath and other fishermen claim that, during the grunion spawning season in spring and summer, they’ve seen the city’s large, tractor-like beach cleaners plow through low-tide areas near the Balboa Pier, churning up fish eggs.

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 during high tides at night.

Although it’s illegal for fishermen 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.

“We’ve noticed a sharp decline in the grunion here recently,” Fath said.

Fath said she’s witnessed city beach cleaners as recently as last week plowing through the wet sand near Balboa Pier, and potentially disturbing grunion eggs.

“I can understand wanting to make the beach look nice, but not at this cost,” Fath said.

Newport’s General Services Director Mark Harmon said Tuesday that the city consults with a marine biologist from Pepperdine University on when grunion spawn 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 like cigarette butts and shards of broken glass.

In the winter, city workers clean most beaches a few times a week. Cleanup crews sweep up the beaches daily during the busy summer months, Harmon said.

“We only use cleaning, sanitizing equipment above the high tide line,” Harmon said. “If we have to go on the wet parts, it’s all done by hand — we don’t put any cleaning equipment there at all. We’re very careful about that.”

Newport Beach resident Randy Jennings, also a regular at Balboa Pier, said he too has seen the beach cleaner plowing through areas where grunion lay their eggs.

“They’re part of the fishing cycle here,” Jennings said, who rides his three-wheel bike down to the Balboa Pier each day to fish and has been fishing off the pier since 1962.

Jennings and other fishermen said they have seen a drop off in grunion in the past few years, which in turn means there are fewer halibut.

“We see a loss of fish because of it,” Jennings said.

Harmon said he has not received any complaints about the beach cleaners plowing through grunion spawning areas, adding that he is willing to talk to people who believe they have witnessed the cleaners straying into sensitive areas.

“This isn’t something new,” Harmon said. “We’ve been doing this for a long time and are very confident the crews are taking precautions to not go into these areas,” he said.