More than 70 years ago, Pismo Beach deemed itself the "clam capital of the world!," so it's no surprise the 78th annual Pismo Beach Clam Festival attracted thousands of people this weekend.
The two-day event included hands-on activities for children, talks about clam sustainability from State Parks and coloring books with learning tools.
The festival is a celebration of the history of the clam population in Pismo Beach.
State Parks says to help restore the clam population, when you find clams lying out on the sand, you can dig a hole big enough for the clam and bury it in the sand.
This will help restore them to their natural habitats.
The Clam Festival is one of Pismo Beach's largest weekend events with dozens of vendors.
“We’re teaching the proper way to rebury a baby calm when you find it on the beach so it will recover and help to populate the clam population. We are hoping to bring it back to Pismo Beach,” said Gordon Jackson, Pismo Beach tourism director.
Emma Rhoads with the Pismo Beach Stewardship and Outreach Program says that clams are popping up on the beaches again but wants to make sure they stick around.
“Yes, there are some for the first time in 30 years that can be harvested but the message and how we choose to harvest them is important because we don't want to see an influx of people coming out here again and over-harvesting and causing the same issues,” Rhoads said.
