Pismo Beach has long been known as the "Clam Capital of the World," but for a time, clams nearly vanished from its shores.
“In the 80s, the clams kind of just vanished from Pismo Beach," Marissa Bills, a Cal Poly Grad student said.
Bills has been researching these clams for years as part of her master's thesis.
"It could be somewhere between like nine and twelve years is probably what it takes for them to go from being a brand new clam to being a legal size clam," Bills said.
Despite the recent increase in clam sightings, Bills explains that only a tiny fraction—about one or two out of thousands—are actually large enough to be legally harvested.
“A lot of the clams that you're seeing on the beach, they look quite large, especially compared to what you might get in a grocery store," Bills explains. "But for Pismo clams, they're still under the legal limit and they're still too small.”
In the past four years, eight people have been warned or cited for illegal clamming, with one individual fined over $6,000 in 2022, according to a staff report.
It's one of the reasons the city has launched new educational outreach efforts.
"It created an opportunity for the city council to help go out and market, the proper way to clam," said Mike James, Assistant City Manager of Pismo Beach.
The rules are straightforward:
- Clammers must have a valid fishing license and a rigid measuring device.
- Clams must measure at least 4 1/2 inches to be taken.
- Undersized clams must be immediately reburied two inches deep.
- The bag limit is 10 clams.
- Clamming hours are from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.
“I think the ultimate goal is twofold," James said. "One, to make sure that we're continuously supporting the clams and the environment so they can breed and continue to be present. "I think the second point is the hope that we don't have as many citations.”
The outreach efforts include improved signage, a social media campaign, partnerships with California State Parks, and face-to-face interactions.
Bills is thrilled with the city's efforts.
“We would be super excited to have people knowing more about these clams that we think are so cool," Bills says.
