Pismo Beach police arrest three suspects after nearly 500 clams poached

October 8, 2026

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Pismo Beach police officers arrested three of four alleged poachers whom they recently caught with nearly 500 clams.

Over the weekend, an officer noticed a group of individuals in possession of what appeared to be a large quantity of clams well after legal clamming hours had ended, according to the Pismo Beach Police Department. 

The officer contacted four individuals, two of whom fled the scene. One of the two individuals who fled later returned.

Police conducted an investigation, and officers recovered a total of 494 Pismo clams. Only 16 of the clams met the legal size requirement for harvest.

None of the suspects possessed a valid fishing license, measuring device or clam fork. Officers arrested the three suspects who were still at the scene. All of them were from the Bay Area.

Authorities booked the three suspect in San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges related to multiple commercial fishing violations.

Personnel that responded to the incident managed to successfully rebury all of the recovered clams. The clams are expected to survive.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel assisted Pismo Beach police with the investigation.

The Pismo Beach Police Department says Pismo clams were once over-harvested, and their numbers have severely depleted.  Due to years of conservation efforts and strict regulations, the Pismo clam population is steadily recovering.

Clamming laws and regulations state clammers must possess a valid fishing license and an accurate measuring device.

Pismo clams must measure at least 4.5 inches in length in order to be possessed. Undersized Pismo clams must be immediately reburied two inches deep in the area where the digging occurred.

Additionally, there is a bag limit of 10 Pismo clams, and the hours of clamming are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.