“Ruined Our Trip”: California Mother Fined $89K After Kids Collected 72 Clams

But a fun family day at the beach almost cost one woman $89,000 after her children were ticketed for collecting clams they thought were seashells in Southern California.

Her kids were thrilled to spend the day playing in the surf, building sandcastles, and, of course, hunting for the best-looking seashells.

“We’re not quite sure why they disappeared in the first place and why they’re back now,” Gil said.

By 2023, someone found the first 4-and-a-half-inch-long Pismo clam since the 1990s. This year, people are finding enough full-sized clams to harvest 10 at a time.

What the kids didn’t know is that they were actually collecting live clams hiding inside their shells, which is illegal in Pismo Beach.

This type of clam is exclusively found in the eastern Pacific Ocean and can be identified by its thick, large, triangular shells, which can be pale or brown.

Therefore, in order to ensure they don’t overfish the clam population, the state of California implements extremely strict clamming regulations.

If people don’t have a license, they will likely receive a harsh penalty for collecting clams without one. This regulation is in place to protect shellfish species like California clams.

The shellfish population has increased over the last several years thanks to regulation efforts. Currently, clammers and sea otters are often the biggest threats to the clam population.

Lieutenant Matthew Gil from the department explained, “The reason we got it we have these regulations is because we have to let them get to four and a half inches so they can spawn so they can have they can have offspring every year, and they have juvenile clams.”

“Clams can’t bury themselves,” Gil said. “If they don’t get reburied, they’ll just tumble on top of the surf, and a seagull will pick them up and they’ll die.”

While ample information is available online, most California beaches have signs explaining the local regulations. In Pismo Beach, for example, several signs say, “Clamming Is Illegal.”

“Locals in SLO County have been doing a great job taking ownership of the clams,” he said. “It’s been neat to see.”

One such officer was on duty when the Russ family was enjoying their day on Pismo Beach last year. When they saw the children’s bucket full of clams, they immediately wrote Ms. Russ a citation.

But when the children went to return the clams to the water, an officer was approaching the group.

The officer pulled the clams out of the bucket and then laid them in a line to count them. Russ said the experience was “similar to a drug bust.”

Russ told ABC7 after the fact, “My kids they thought they were collecting seashells, but they were actually collecting clams, 72 to be exact.” She went on to say, “It made me really sad and depressed, and it kind of ruined our trip.”

While the vast majority of these tickets were undoubtedly issued to clam poachers who know and refuse to follow the regulations, others, like Russ’ children, simply didn’t know they were collecting a protected species.

Instead of having to pay almost $90,000, the judge ruled that a $500 fine would suffice. But even though Russ won her case, it will certainly be something she never forgets.

But she told the press, “It was definitely one expensive trip to Pismo, unforgettable.”  The mother of five even decided to get a small seashell tattoo to commemorate the ridiculous and memorable event.

This story is certainly a cautionary tale for all beachgoers – while one should always read the entry signs and check online for local regulations before a visit, in general, the best rule of thumb is to simply leave wildlife or even plantlife where you find it.

“Sometimes in the summer, we see blooms of certain types of algae,” Ruttenberg said to KCBX. “Some of those algae produce chemicals and compounds that may make it harder for them to filter on over their gills or extract oxygen from the water.”

“Even though the mortality rates are normally 99.999%, just a small change in that survival rate can lead to a huge increase in the number of babies showing up on the beach,” Ruttenberg said.

If you find an undersized clam, there are certain regulations that you have to follow. Of course, you should always have the correct license to harvest these clams before digging them up.