Three Arrested, 494 Clams Recovered in Late-Night Poaching Investigation
PISMO BEACH, CA — During the first weekend of October, a late-night poaching investigation in Pismo Beach resulted in the arrest of three Bay Area residents and the recovery of nearly 500 illegally harvested clams.
The incident began when a patrol officer observed a group of individuals in possession of a large quantity of clams well past legal harvesting hours. Upon officers making contact with the group, two individuals fled the scene, though one subsequently returned to the location.
During the on-scene investigation, law enforcement personnel recovered 494 clams. A physical inspection revealed that only 16 of the total clams seized met the mandatory legal size requirement of 4 1/2 inches in length. Investigators determined that none of the four individuals possessed a valid sport fishing license, an accurate measuring device, or a clam fork.
Officers arrested three suspects, all Bay Area residents, and booked them into the county jail on multiple felony and misdemeanor commercial fishing-related violations.
With assistance from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, responding officers successfully reburied all 494 recovered clams at the appropriate depth, and officials expect the vast majority to survive.
State wildlife officials remind the public that Pismo clam populations are actively recovering due to strict conservation laws. Clammers are required to maintain a valid fishing license, use a rigid measuring device, observe the 10-clam daily bag limit, immediately rebury undersized clams two inches deep, and restrict harvesting to between one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset.
