Nineteen fish species were recorded, with pilchard and anchovy dominating. The majority of the pilchard catch was exported to Italy. A length of beach about south of Pilchard Cove is regularly used by naturists. Cornish Pilchard fishermen had no one to fish for. The port was a major catcher of pilchard until the 1960s. A traditional Cornish pilchard dish is stargazy pie. European pilchard is caught in large but declining quantities. A pilchard fishery was still operating in the 1880s. They resemble sprat and pilchard eggs in having a segmented yolk and no oil globule. For centuries the village was a pilchard fishing and processing port. For centuries the village has been a pilchard fishing and processing port. The European pilchard is a small to medium-sized, somewhat elongated, herring-like fish. The ancient "Pilchard Inn" may have started life as the guest lodgings for the monastery.