In April 1786 one prolific smuggler, Thomas Welland, in his armed lugger "Happy go Lucky" ,was killed in a gun battle near Mullion Island by men of the Revenue cutters Hawk and Lark.
Along with a sustainable approach to crab and lobster fishing, pilchard fishing was part of the lifeblood of many Cornish communities, and along with work on local farms provided an income and food source for families in and around Mullion and elsewhere on the Lizard Peninsula.