FISHING STATIONS— ENGLAND. 189 



until they aire near St. Ives, when, in following the line 

 of coast, they in some years enter and work round the 

 bay in enormous shoals. Then is the seaner's oppor- 

 tunity ; and the ground in some parts of the bay is so 

 favourable for his work that very large captures of 

 pilchards are sometimes made if the fish come within 

 proper distance. The seaning ground is on the western 

 side of the bay and extends southwards for about 

 three miles from the bar. It is divided into six sta- 

 tions or " stems" by marks or boundaries on the land, 

 in positions fixed by the local Act. These stations are 

 known as the Carrick Grladden, the Poll, the Leigh, 

 Porthminster, Pedn Olver, and Carrick Leggoe, or Carn 

 Crowze ; and no fishing boats besides those employed 

 in the sean-fishery are allowed to fish or anchor within 

 a certain distance of these stems between an hour before 

 sunrise and the same period after sunset, from the 25th 

 of July to the 25th of December; whilst any chance 

 boats which may have occasion to pass within the limits 

 of the stems must do so at not more than 20 fathoms 

 from the shore. This fishery is rather uncertain, de- 

 l^ending as it does on the fish coming w^ell into the bay ; 

 but under favourable circumstances it is likely to be so 

 valuable that it is for the general interest that every- 

 thing else should give way to it. For this reason also 

 no scans below a certain size are allowed to be used, so 

 that the danger of disturbing a large body of fish and 

 perhaps frightening them away without having secured 

 a good haul may be as much as possible avoided. The 

 smallest dimensions of a legal scan at St. Ives are 160 

 fathoms along the cork-rope, with a depth of 8 fathoms 

 at the middle or bunt, and 6 fathoms at the end of the 

 sleeves or wings. A certain length of tow-rope and 

 warp to enable the net to be shot at a considerable dis- 



