San Clemente Pier And Beaches Closed To Fishing On Friday

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife extended the Orange County fisheries closure 18 miles offshore down to the southern border of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. This means that as of Friday, no fishing or shellfish harvesting will be permitted in San Clemente waters. The fisheries closure includes the San Clemente Municipal Pier and the San Clemente shoreline.

While fishing is closed-off for the time being, residents can still enjoy recreational activities on the shores of San Clemente while the massive cleanup effort to clear Orange County waters of at least 30,000 gallons of crude oil continues.

The county has been dealing with the oil leak since last weekend, and since last weekend, several coastal Orange County cities have also faced fishery closures enacted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Over 5,500 gallons of crude oil have been recovered from the water and 13 barrels of tar balls from area beaches, along with another 172,500 pounds of according to the Unified Command.

Meanwhile, crews are surveying and cleaning area beaches up and down the coast, and have deployed over 14,000 feet of containment boom to corral more oiled water from reaching the beaches.

To stay up-to-date on Orange County's fishing closures, visit SoCal Spill Response's website.