A California mother, Charlotte Russ, faced an $88,000 fine after her children mistakenly collected clams, thinking they were seashells, during a family trip to Pismo Beach. Known as the “Clam Capital of the World,” Pismo Beach is a popular clamming spot. Russ’s kids picked up 72 clams during their vacation, unaware that they were breaking the law by clamming without a fishing license, according to ABC 7.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife confronted the mother of five, informing her that her children were collecting the clams illegally and issued her a ticket. Russ recalled, “Right before we went, that’s when I opened it and that’s when I saw the amount.”
Initially, she received a fine in the mail ordering her to pay $88,993, but a San Luis Obispo County judge later reduced the fine to $500. Russ explained, “They know now at the beach don’t touch anything, but they know now what a clam is, compared to what a seashell is now. I’ve had to explain that to them.”
To commemorate the incident, Russ got a shellfish tattoo on her arm after she “won” her case, jokingly calling it “definitely one expensive trip to Pismo, unforgettable.”
In 2023, there were 58 citations issued in San Luis Obispo County for illegally collecting clams, according to the outlet. The Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains that the strict penalties for collecting clams without a license are necessary to protect shellfish species like clams. Lt. Matthew Gil explained, “The reason we have these regulations is because we have to let them get to 4½ inches so they can spawn and have offspring every year, and they have juvenile clams.”
Pismo clams, found exclusively in the eastern Pacific Ocean, can be identified by their thick, large, triangular shells that may be pale or brown, with a yellowish, tan, or green varnish-like coating. They are bivalves, meaning they have two siphons and a two-halved shell.
Pismo Beach is home to both the Pismo clam and the Pacific razor clam, with clammers limited to 10 Pismo clams per day. While the clam population was drastically reduced over the years due to clammers and sea otters, regulation efforts have helped to increase shellfish populations.
