CHAPTER IIL 



THE PILCHARD FISHERY. 



The pilchard fishery of Cornwall and Devonshire — Description of drift and 

 seine nets — Process of cleaning and salting the fish — Statistics of catch in 

 various years^Definitions of fish measures — Cornish sardines — Irish 

 fishery — French fishery. 



The pilchard {Clupca pilchardits) is of a somewhat less com- 

 pressed and rounded form than the herring. The great 

 seat of this British fishery is the coast of Devonshire and 

 Cornwall, particularly Mount's Bay, St. Ives, and Meva- 

 gissey, where they are caught in vast numbers. In July the 

 early pilchard fishing commences, and from that time to 

 the beginning of September the whole coast from St. Ives 

 to the Ram Head is in a state of excitement and activity. 

 So much do the comforts of all the labouring classes 

 depend on a successful take of pilchards, that an unpro- 

 ductive season is nearly as disastrous as a deficient harvest 

 on land would be. 



The fish are taken in either drift-nets or seines. The 

 former are for entangling the fish in the open sea, and are 

 about half a mile in length, by five fathoms in depth. 

 The latter are cast near the shore, and in shallow water. 

 To work a seine three boats are required. The first large 



