Wilson on Outdoors: Clamming at Pismo Beach after 40 years
Q: I promised my son 40 years ago to take him clamming at Pismo Beach, and I want to keep that promise. How are the conditions there, and when is the best time to plan a visit?
Jim S, Big Arm, Mont.
A: Recent surveys at Pismo Beach indicate there are no legal-sized clams there, although there has been some limited legal take of razor clams. I really want you and your son to have a successful trip, so there are other locations farther south where you should have luck. Rincon Beach in Santa Barbara County and La Conchita Beach in Ventura County recently have been producing good numbers of legal-sized Pismo clams.
Clams that have a size limit and are not retained must be immediately reburied in the area from which dug (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.20 (d)). Clammers must do their share to help to maintain healthy populations of clams for future generations.
Clamming is generally done from November to April during minus-tide events. Starting in May, potentially harmful plankton blooms can become an issue. The annual mussel shellfish quarantine is May 1 to Oct. 31 and is intended to protect the public against paralytic shellfish poisoning and domoic acid poisoning, also known as amnesic shellfish poisoning. The quarantine period encompasses more than 99 percent of all paralytic shellfish poisoning illnesses and deaths reported in California since 1927. Even though mussels are a different species, I recommend taking similar precautions and would not recommend harvesting Pismo clams during the annual mussel quarantine.
Please remember that any person 16 or older who is clamming must have a valid California sport fishing license. An ocean enhancement stamp also is required for ocean fishing (including clamming) south of Point Arguello (northern Santa Barbara County) except when fishing with a one-day or two-day sport fishing license. The stamp is not required if you purchase a one- or two-day sport fishing license.
For regulations specific to Pismo clams, please go to section 29.40 in the current Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet available online or wherever fishing licenses are sold. Good luck!
Q: I am a freediver who dives for lobsters along the Southern California coast. I have concerns about abandoned hoop nets and lobster traps. I can tell they are abandoned and have been there for a while because some are rusted and old, the rope is frayed, and they are floating underwater with no buoys attached. Numerous times, I have seen these abandoned traps with lobsters and fish that have been trapped inside for days – some alive, some dead. Am I allowed to open and free those trapped animals and clean my dive spots of these abandoned traps? What can I do about those hoop nets that have been cut off/frayed and left underwater? I am planning to round up a bunch of freedivers to do an underwater cleanup.
Chester L.
A: As long as the trap is clearly abandoned and there is no surface gear associated with it, you can legally release the animals and remove the traps (you may not keep any lobsters found in the traps). The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends and prefers that citizens and fishermen instead report the type and location of lost or abandoned fishing gear to the appropriate CDFW field office so trained department personnel can retrieve the gear. For a list of CDFW Marine Region offices, please go to http://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regions/Marine/Contact.
Q: Can I catch a mallard duck in my housing community and eat it if the duck hasn’t built a nest yet? I live in Huntington Beach.
E.J. Fudd
A: No. Regardless of whether the duck is nesting, you must comply with the Fish and Game code and all applicable local laws or ordinances. For example, you need a valid hunting license. Waterfowl season doesn’t open until October, and you would need to use a lawful method of take. Since you live in a housing community, firearms likely are not allowed and catching the duck by hand is not a legal method.
Q: I am wondering if while I am fishing, I can run my crayfish trap at the same time to catch crayfish. I have only one fishing permit and don’t have a second rod stamp. I just want to make sure I don’t break any laws.
Eric L.
A: Yes, there are no prohibitions against doing this as long as you can closely monitor your fishing rod the entire time.
Carrie Wilson, marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife: CalOutdoors@wildlife.ca.gov.
This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Wilson on Outdoors: Clamming at Pismo Beach after 40 years."