An officer spotted the individuals while on patrol at the north end of Pismo Beach, an area currently closed by the city to protect the recovering clams during their spawning period.
The officer approached the individuals as they were leaving and found grocery bags and a camouflage backpack containing the undersized Pismo clams. 120 of them were taken by just two suspects. The legal daily limit for collecting Pismo clams is 10 per person. None of the individuals had clam gauges, and all clams were below the 4-and-a-half-inch legal size limit.
The clams were photographed and reburied to give them the best chance of survival. These clams—and all California wildlife—belong to the people of this state and illegally taking them deprives everyone the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from our shared natural resources.
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