Charlotte Russ, Fresno, California mom fined $88K after kids pick up protected claims which they had mistaken for sea shells during outing to Pismo Beach.
A California mother has been fined up to $88,000 after her children mistakenly collected clams — thinking they were picking up seashells — during a beach outing without a fishing license.
Charlotte Russ of Fresno was on a family trip to Pismo Beach, known as the ‘Clam Capital of the World,’ when she said her kids picked up 72 clams from the clamming hotspot during their getaway, according to ABC30.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife confronted the mother of five and told her that her kids were collecting the clams without a license, issuing her a ticket.
Protecting shellfish species
‘Right before we went, that’s when I opened it and that’s when I saw the amount,’ Russ said
She later received a fine in the mail ordering her to pay $88,993 before a San Luis Obispo County judge lowered the fine to $500.
‘It made me really sad and depressed, and it kind of ruined our trip,’ Russ told ABC30.
In 2023, fifty-eight citations were issued in San Luis Obispo County for illegally collecting clams, according to ABC30.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife says the harsh penalty for collecting clams without a license is in place to protect shellfish species like clams.
‘The reason we got it we have these regulations is because we have to let them get to 4 and a half inches so they can spawn so they can have they can have offspring every year, and they have juvenile clams,’ Lt. Matthew Gil told the outlet.
‘If you have a dead sand dollar, a dead animal, or something like that, or you have a broken seashell, that’s fine,’ said Lt. Gil. ‘Pismo clams — what you’re gonna see is both shells will be intact together,’ said Lt. Gil.
If you can’t take them a part very easily, its a clam. A difference Russ’s kids are now aware of.
How to identify protected clams
Russ said the whole experience taught her children and herself valuable lessons about wildlife regulations.
‘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,’ said Russ.
Russ says there are signs posted, but she says she wishes there were more because it is just not something her family, who were very eager to have fun, paid attention to.
Making light of the ‘mix-up’, Russ showed that she got a shellfish tattooed on her arm to remember the situation after she ‘won’ her case.
‘It was definitely one expensive trip to Pismo, unforgettable,’ Russ said.
Pismo clams are exclusively found in the eastern Pacific Ocean and can be identified by their thick, large, and triangular shells and can be pale or brown in color.
The outside of the shell may also have a yellowish, tan, or green varnish-like coating.
Pismo clams are bivalves — meaning they have two siphons and a two-halved shell.
Pismo Beach is the home of Pismo Clam and the Pacific Razor Clams, according to the beach’s website.
Clamers are limited to 10 Pismo Clams per day.
Over the years, clammers and sea otters have drastically reduced the population, but shellfish populations have increased due to regulation efforts.
