By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Officials have issued an advisory warning off-road vehicle drivers at the Oceano Dunes to beware of a rising clam population and to avoid the shellfish surfacing near the shoreline. [KSBY]

In recent years, the Pismo Clam population has rebounded. Clams that are usually buried beneath the sand at the shoreline started coming to the surface in 2021, said Stephanie Little, senior environmental scientist at the Oceano Dunes District. In recent weeks, clams started coming to the surface again, prompting the advisory.

The advisory asks off-roaders at the Oceano Dunes to only drive on dry sand. Off-roaders are also instructed to avoid the immediate shoreline and stay closer to the sand dunes.

Officials are urging drivers to use either all-wheel or four-wheel drives.