Learn how to fish at SLO County pier during this free event

Learn how to fish and identify your catch at a free family-friendly event on the San Luis Obispo County coast.

Fish Fest runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 29 at the San Simeon Pier, according to a news release. It’s part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s annual Get Into Your Sanctuary celebration.

Members of the Cambria Fishing Club will guide the recreational fishing and share tips on sustainable fishing.

Fishery experts from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also will be on hand during Fish Fest to help ID fish and explain how to tell how old they are, the release said.

Fishing licenses are not needed when casting a line from a municipal pier, the release said.

Fish Fest activities are also in store at the Coastal Discovery Center at San Simeon Bay, a joint venture between Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and California State Parks.

Vistors can take join a scavenger hunt around W.R. Hearst Memorial Beach, and view microscopic plankton under a microscope.

The discovery center is located within the state park, just west of the intersection of Highway 1 and SLO-San Simeon Road in San Simeon. It’s across the highway from the access road to Hearst Castle.

The Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz will also host Fish Fest activities.

Free Salmonscape posters by artist Ray Troll will be available for free at both centers.

The marine sanctuary, often call the Serengeti of the sea, extends along the 276 miles of shoreline from the northern part of Cambria to Sausalito. Encompassing 6,094 square statute miles of the Pacific Ocean, it is larger than Yosemite National Park.

For more information, go to montereybay.noaa.gov.