The demise of the pilchard was set and by the early 1920s the seine boats had begun to disappear, never to return. In 1923 Italy lifted the Tariff on all salt fish except Pilchards making prices unfavourable. The pilchard market was now competing with salt cod, herring and other fish. In the late 1920s, in Italy, Mussolini was of the opinion that the Pilchard merchants were charging more than they should. Cornish Pilchard fishermen had no one to fish for. In 1928 catches of mixed Mackerel and Pilchards, between 30,000-60,000 were brought into Newlyn, but the market was already glutted. The fish had to be dumped into the Mounts Bay. By 1935 Mussolini would not spend Italian money abroad. Imports of pilchards from the UK, including those from Cornish curers were banned. By 1939 Britain was importing millions of canned pilchards from markets in California and Japan. The countries of the British Empire were also importing them in large quantities, but not from Cornwall. No one wanted Cornish pilchards.