THE COMMERCIAL SPONGES AND THE SPONGE FISHERIES. A477 
the value of the product. The transshipments between the various markets 
make it difficult, if not impossible, to state the value as a whole, and while the 
available figures, official and otherwise, have been used, the following must be 
regarded as an estimate: 
S]peiie earl seegthel oD [CoS een ea) ea ee Pen a A ee $9, 000 
Adriatic: 
Istrideandmvaimatia (estimated): -.02-2 =. 22 5 = eee eee et ek eS ene San $10, 000 
Cenibmbatereanito (O02) i= oe a Se ee See ee wee ean bes 22, 000 
— 32, 000 
Aigean Sea, including Creteand sponges brought from the African coast and Lampedusa (1901) 1, 090, 000 
TEs ESET sg a ee er ot ee ee 113, 000 
Perso NM ROOM TOON AVELATC) o. sane =o enone ie et ee nee net ante wae ee eee Se 237, 000 
SIR SEEaTSI CLEILSA)) eee ae es re ee St ne ee ee ee ee ee a ee 435, 000 
PRE ICON SEMEL) Sat te ce See ae Ste Cae ae Rae eee Soa BEE eraee econ 123, 000 
2,039, 000 
This does not include the sponges sold at Benghazi nor the Egyptian catch, 
but as there are undoubtedly some duplicaticns, it may be assumed with some 
assurance that the annual product of the Mediterranean fisheries is valued at 
not far from $2,000,000. The various fisheries, considered more in detail, are 
as follows: 
SPAIN AND FRANCE. 
For years sponges have been known to exist on the Spanish coast, but until 
recently practically no attempt was made to develop a fishery. Explorations 
during the past few years have developed the existence of workable beds about 
the Balearic Islands and on the adjacent coasts of Catalonia and Valencia, par- 
ticularly on the banks in the vicinity of the Columbretes Islands between Majorca 
and the Spanish Peninsula, and a small quantity of elephant-ear, zimocca, and 
honeycomb sponges have been taken there with scaphanders. ‘The Spanish 
Government has taken steps to encourage the industry, and in 1903 there were 
10 Greek diving vessels at work, but in 1904 these had dwindled to 2, and since 
then there have been none. Sponges are also found on the coast of France east 
of Marseilles, but they are scattered and few in number and have not been com- 
mercially exploited. Zimocca, elephant-ear, and honeycomb sponges are also 
found off the southern coast of Corsica and of recent years have been taken in 
small quantities by means of the diving machine. 
ADRIATIC SEA. 
The sponge beds of the Adriatic appear to have been always less prolific 
than those of many other parts of the Mediterranean, and they have suffered so 
severely from the fishery that they are now of comparatively little importance. 
