FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 37 



in some features surpass those of auy other part of the State; the 

 turtle fishery, the kingfish fishery, and the grunt fishery, for instance, 

 are more extensive than at all other centers combined. 



THE SPONGE FISHERY. 



Importance. — The sponge fishery is of more importance to the citizens 

 of Key West than any other branch of business. While less extensive 

 than the manufacturing of cigars, it is in most respects more beneficial 

 to the people who have property interests or are regular residents of 

 the city. The outlay for supplies and utensils required by the numer- 

 ous sponge fleet, amounting to $100 or $200 per vessel each trip, is no 

 inconsiderable factor in the industrial condition of the place, while the 

 large cash sums put in circulation by the sponge-buyers constitute the 

 principal source of ready money for a large proportion of the population. 



Apparatus and methods of the sponge fishery. — The sponge fishery at 

 this time presents few new features that need be referred to at length. 

 With one or two exceptions the methods and apparatus are the same 

 that have been employed for many years and have been fully described 

 in reports of the Commission. 



The sponge fishery is carried on with vessels of a schooner or sloop 

 rig ranging from 5 to 47 tons (averaging about 13 tons), which resort 

 chiefly to the grounds in the Gulf of Mexico, and with smaller vessels, 

 mostly sloops of less than 5 tons' burden, which make most of the catch 

 on the grounds about the keys of the southern and eastern Florida coasts. 

 The larger vessels carry from 5 to 13 men and the smaller ones from 3 

 to 5, the number almost always being odd. Two men go in each of the 

 dingies or small boats from which the sponging is done, the odd man of 

 the crew being left in charge of the vessel. The larger vessels have a 

 market value of $500 to $4,500, exclusive of their outfit. The latter 

 consists of boats, fuel, food, cooking utensils, and the sponge apparatus, 

 and is valued at $1,000 to $1,500. The average value of the smaller 

 vessels is about §430, including outfit. 



Sponges are all taken by means of a 3-toothed hook attached to a long 

 pole. Poles of various lengths are used, to correspond with the different 

 depths of water in which the sponging is done. Before the depletion 

 of the shoaler grounds comparatively short poles were employed, but 

 as the spongers have extended their operations into deeper and deeper 

 water longer poles have been required, until at the present time the 

 limit seems to have been reached in a length of 50 or 52 feet. On the 

 larger vessels four or five different lengths of poles may be used, but on 

 the small craft that frequent the shore grounds poles of one or two 

 lengths (18 to 25 feet) are usually sufficient. A vessel with a crew of 

 11 men will have 15 or 18 poles and hooks, while a small shore- sponger 

 will require only 2 or 3 poles. 



About 1888 a slight change was made in the construction of the 

 sponge-hook. This change was found to be necessary when, owing to 



