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Pismo Beach police arrest suspects for illegal clamming

January 23, 2024

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Pismo Beach police officers recently arrested several suspects for illegal clamming and seized more than 100 clams from them.

Last Saturday, officers contacted several people who were illegally clamming north of the Pismo Beach Pier. Officers found 120 undersized Pismo clams in a cooler, according to the Pismo Beach Police Department. 

California State Parks personnel helped police return the clams to their natural habitat. They reburied the clams at the shoreline. 

Officers arrested the suspects and cited them for clamming without a fishing license, not having a measuring device and possession of undersized Pismo clams. 

Pismo Beach police say taking more than 10 legal-sized clams or any number of undersized clams carries a fine of approximately $170 per clam. The fee for not having a license is $500. 

“It’s definitely not worth it,” the police department stated in a social media post. 

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Just so everyone understands, these people are then put in front of a SLO County Judge and the fine is reduced to $200.00 TOTAL!!!!! The Rangers do their job and the court undermines them.


6

How come calcoast news didn’t name the suspects?


9

This kind of illegal poaching goes on unreported in the Pismo Oceano Dunes State Park where people get away with it and authorities seem to care less.


5

These clam diggers must not have a basic understanding of the English language and know not what they do, thus they are ignorant of the law. Is ignorance a criminal defense these days? Just asking.


-5

Ignorance of the law is no excuse and never has been. Moreover, there are signs at the beach regarding the clams as to what to do with undersized clams (rebury them), the fines for taking them, and so on. The clams are a protected natural resource. I have no sympathy for these violators. It would be called poaching in other parts of the world.


17

Good luck, F&G doesn’t mess around. Once I was helping my 5 and 8 year old cast their poles (I didn’t even have a pole of my own with me) and got fined $500 for not having a license on me. Also threatened to confiscate the kids fishing gear, I was being 100% respectful towards the officer. Not a violent person in the least bit, but have never wanted to deck someone that badly.


8

They will probably get a slap on the wrist when they should be held accountable! I can remember many yrs ago you could go to pismo and get a limit of really big clams but those days as the abalone days are gone. Sort of like when the Buffalo was wiped out due to total disregard for the future.


25

According to my calculations, that cooler full of clams resulted in a $20,400 fine.


38