A pearl of advice: don’t go picking huge amounts of random “seashells” on Californian beaches, as you may actually need a fishing license. A family learned this the hard way when their children collected 72 clams. The expensive lesson cost an eye-watering $88,000 fine.
Charlotte Russ and her family traveled to Pismo Beach from Fresno, California, USA, last year, where her kids, unbeknownst to them, broke clamming regulations.
- Children collecting 72 clams at a Californian beach led to parents facing a $88,000 fine.
- The fine was imposed due to breaking clamming regulations, highlighting the importance of wildlife protection laws.
- The family's fine was eventually reduced to $500 after explaining the situation to a judge.
The mom told Abc7 on Thursday (May 23): “My kids they thought they were collecting seashells, but they were actually collecting clams, 72 to be exact.”
Charlotte continued: “Right before we went, that’s when I opened it and that’s when I saw the amount.”
Children who collected 72 clams resulted in parents being fined with an eye-watering $88,000
Image credits: ABC30 Action News
Image credits: ABC30 Action News
The stunned mother ended up receiving a ticket on the spot and later received a notice she would have to pay just over $88,000, Abc7 reported.
She told the American broadcaster: “It made me really sad and depressed, and it kind of ruined our trip.”
Lieutenant Matthew Gil, who works at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the rules are in place to protect the species of the shellfish.
Charlotte Russ and her family traveled to Pismo Beach, California, USA, where her kids, unbeknownst to them, broke clamming regulations
Image credits: ABC30 Action News
Image credits: ABC30 Action News
He told Abc7: “The reason […] 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 offspring every year, and they have juvenile clams.”
Matthew added it was important to educate yourself and your children before going ashore, saying: “If you have a dead sand dollar, a dead animal, or something like that, or you have a broken seashell, that’s fine.
“Pismo clams — what you’re going to see is both shells will be intact together.” If you can’t take them apart very easily, it’s a clam.
“My kids they thought they were collecting seashells, but they were actually collecting clams, 72 to be exact,” the mom explained
Image credits: ABC30 Action News
Charlotte said: “[My children] 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.”
The Russes saw a small silver lining to this whole mess, as after explaining the clam confusion to a San Luis Obispo County judge, Charlotte reportedly got her fine reduced to $500.
Image credits: ABC30 Action News
The mom concluded the shell of a trip by immortalizing the incident with a humorous tattoo of a shellfish with the number 72 on her wrist.
“So I got this after I ‘won’ my case, in Pismo,” Charlotte quipped.
She added: “It was definitely one expensive trip to Pismo, unforgettable.”
The stunned mother ended up receiving a ticket on the spot and later received a notice she would have to pay just over $88,000
Image credits: ABC30 Action News
Last year, there were 58 citations issued for this problem in San Luis Obispo, Abc7 reported.
Charlotte reportedly mentioned that there were signs posted at the location, but she wished there had been more. Her family, eager to have fun, didn’t notice the existing signs.
“That’s some petty shellfish behavior,” a reader joked
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Who took 72 shells from the beach? The woman used the children to try to get into poaching.
Look I had 2 buckets full of sand and shells in my backseat half way to my house. Didn't know. My kids are some sneaky a**es
Load More Replies... I live at the coast and even the most uninformed first-time-on-the-beach-tourist can tell the difference between a shell on the beach and a living seashell/clam. First of all, the shells are easy to pick up from the sand. Second, the living ones are difficult to get to plus heavy and closed. Trying to open the first one they find, they discover it is either impossible or icky, so they leave them alone. Additionally, not checking on what the kids are collecting in the wild can be very dangerous. This is in no way connected with a "failed education system", but a 100% lack of common sense, preparing the trip to an unfamiliar environment, looking up essential travel information by yourself including local rules and regulations and general respect to nature. Or just playing stupid. In any case she should have paid a hefty fine for having killed 72 young animals.
They didn’t just kill 72 animals, but also all the baby clams that woulda been laid by them, and the grandchild clams, and the great-grandchild clams, and so on. I feel sick thinking of all the yummy meals they ruined.
Load More Replies...
Who took 72 shells from the beach? The woman used the children to try to get into poaching.
Look I had 2 buckets full of sand and shells in my backseat half way to my house. Didn't know. My kids are some sneaky a**es
Load More Replies... I live at the coast and even the most uninformed first-time-on-the-beach-tourist can tell the difference between a shell on the beach and a living seashell/clam. First of all, the shells are easy to pick up from the sand. Second, the living ones are difficult to get to plus heavy and closed. Trying to open the first one they find, they discover it is either impossible or icky, so they leave them alone. Additionally, not checking on what the kids are collecting in the wild can be very dangerous. This is in no way connected with a "failed education system", but a 100% lack of common sense, preparing the trip to an unfamiliar environment, looking up essential travel information by yourself including local rules and regulations and general respect to nature. Or just playing stupid. In any case she should have paid a hefty fine for having killed 72 young animals.
They didn’t just kill 72 animals, but also all the baby clams that woulda been laid by them, and the grandchild clams, and the great-grandchild clams, and so on. I feel sick thinking of all the yummy meals they ruined.
Load More Replies... 
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