100 REPORT OX TIIK SPONGE FISHERY OF FLORIDA 



Mediterranean mode of fishing. In the latter case the sponges are 

 generally obtained by divers from depths of from 15 to 20 fathoms, the 

 men working without a diving dress, using large stones, which they 

 hold at arm's length in front of them, to carry them to the bottom. 

 They usually remain under water about two minutes. In America, on 

 the other hand, sponges are taken in water of from 3 to 6 fathoms, or 

 even shallower, by means of a three-pronged hook fixed at the end of a 

 pole, men working the poles from small boats. The sponges are 

 seen from the surface with the aid of a " sponge-glass," which is 

 generally a wooden bucket painted a dark colour inside, and with 

 the bottom replaced by a sheet of glass. When the glass is plunged 

 below the surface of the water, the effect of the surface ripples is 

 removed, and by looking through the bucket a clear view of the 

 sea-bottom can be obtained even at considerable depths. As soon 

 as a sponge is seen it is taken by means of the hooks. At the end of a 

 day's fishing, the small boats, each of which is usually occupied by two 

 men, return with their catches to the sponging vessel, which has been 

 lying near all day, and the sponges are placed on board. Some of these 

 vessels remain on the fishing grounds for from one to three months, 

 whilst others return to port at the end of a week or fortnight only. It 

 is generally usual, however, for the vessels to take their catch 

 every week to the " crawls " — enclosures of stakes 8 or 10 feet 

 square, situated in water 2 to 3 feet deep — in which the sponges are 

 cured. The process of curing consists in allowing the animal portion 

 of the sponge to rot, and then clearing it away by squeezing and 

 beating. As much of the water as possible is pressed out, and the 

 sponges then strung on rope yarns, and hung up to bleach and dry. 

 The only other processes to which they are subjected before being 

 placed upon the market are " liming " and trimming, but both of these 

 are carried out after they have passed out of the hands of the fishermen 

 into those of the dealers. The " liming " consists in dipping the 

 sponges in a weak solution of lime in sea-water, and subsequently drying 

 them, a treatment which adds to their value by giving them a bright 

 yellow colour. This process requires to be very carefully performed, as 

 too much lime is liable to injure the tissue of the sponge. 



When sponge-fishing was first practised on a large scale in Florida, 

 only the larger sponges were taken, but in consequence of the amount 

 of fishing which was carried on, the number of large sponges became 

 insutticient to supply the demand, and the smaller ones were gathered 

 to make up the re(|uisite quantity. It became evident, however, that 

 the value of the grounds would soon become considerably reduced, and 

 those interested in the matter began to consider the possibility of 

 increasing the number of sponges by attempting their artificial 



