CHAPTER 35 



Commercial Sponges 



By H. F. Moore * 



Formerly Deputy Commissioner, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. 



Revised by P. S. Galtsoff 



Research Biologist, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 



History 



The taking of sponges for commercial purposes was first practiced in the Medi- 

 terranean, where the occurrence, properties, and uses of these interesting marine 

 animals have been known for many centuries, as is evidenced by various refer- 

 ences to them in the works of Homer and other authors of classic Greece. Appar- 

 ently, there was an extensive and lucrative sponge trade several centuries before 

 the Christian era, and the sponge fishery was a recognized industry, not infre- 

 quently mentioned in early Greek literature. 



The fishery originated in the eastern part of the sea and was followed particu- 

 larly by the Greeks of the islands of the Aegean, where there developed a race 

 of daring and hardy divers who have never known any real rivals. They gradu- 

 ally extended their field of operations to the north coast of Africa and the central 

 Mediterranean, and in more recent times to the coast of Florida and, to a minor 

 extent, other parts of the western Atlantic. The major part of the population of 

 a number of the islands of the Aegean Sea and contiguous waters for centuries 

 has been composed of sponge fishers and their families. 



Until 1841 the world's sponge supply was derived solely from the waters of 

 the Mediterranean, but in that year a French sponge merchant, who had been 

 wrecked in the Bahama Islands, was attracted by the quality of the native sponges, 

 and shipped a sample lot to Paris. Eight years later the exports of sponges from 

 the Bahamas were valued at about $10,000. In 1849 the first Florida sponges were 

 shipped from Key West to New York with the hope that they might be sold. 

 At this time the American market was supplied solely by the Mediterranean fish- 

 eries, and the venturesome cargo from Key West narrowly escaped being thrown 

 away as worthless. Its ultimate sale, however, and a gradual recognition of the 

 merits of these sponges and their low price established a small but growing mar- 

 ket, and several merchants of Key West began to buy the better grades and take 

 them in trade from the fishermen. 



It is said that at first they paid only 10 cents a pound for sheepswool sponges; 

 but, as the product became better known, the price improved, capital was in- 

 vested in the industry, and a large group of men began to rely on gathering 

 sponges for their livelihood. 



" Deceased. 



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