Pismo Clams

July 13, 2023

Question: What is the correct way to rebury undersized Pismo clams?

Answer: This is an important question because although it is currently legal to recreationally harvest Pismo clams, finding legal-sized Pismo clams can be uncommon. Recently, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) wildlife officers have been seeing some legal sized clams at Pismo Beach. Overall, however, a vast majority of the population is still undersized. All unburied and undersized Pismo clams must immediately be reburied where they were found.

The correct way to rebury a Pismo clam is to place it with its hinge ligament (the dark bump where the two shells connect) upward and pointing toward the ocean in a hole at least two inches deep. The clam can then be covered with sand. Because it takes time for clams to rebury themselves, it can be harmful or even fatal to leave clams exposed to the elements. Reburying undersized clams helps increase survival and promotes population growth.

Size regulations for Pismo clams can be found in California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 29.40. Pismo clams must be five inches in greatest shell diameter if found north of the boundary between San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. If found south of that boundary they must be four and one-half inches in greatest shell diameter.

A valid sport fishing license is required to take Pismo clams for anyone 16 years old or older. You must also have with you a measuring device to measure clam size. The legal limit is 10 Pismo clams, and they cannot be taken at night. Each person taking clams must have a separate container and cannot commingle or combine clams. Pismo clam poaching can be reported via CalTIP at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Enforcement/CalTIP.