1G() KKPOKT OK rOMMISSlONEK OF FT^;H AND FISHEKIES. 



reiiiuininjj;" in thcin, while those to which tiic hhick scum still adheres 

 are scraped with a knife. The spono-cs aic then sciiieezed out quite 

 thoroughly with the liands, after which they are removed to th(> shore 

 and strung on pieces of coarse twine about <> feet in length, in which 

 shape they are ready for sale. All sponges are sold ))y auction. 



SPONGES GATHERED IN FOREIGN WATERS. 



In September, 1900, the schooner Srrajiiia C/., of Key West, made 

 a trip to the Mosipiito Coast of Nicaragua, and brought l)ack about 

 1,016 pounds of sheepsw'ool sponges and 4-1: pounds of velvet sponges. 

 Most of these were taken in water shallow enough to permit of the 

 sponges being secured l)y wading. No elfort was made to gather other 

 kinds, as they wx)uld not have sold for enough to pa}^ for the collecting. 

 The sheepswool and velvet sponges were of an inferior grade. On land- 

 ing the sponges at Ke}^ West they were compelled to pay duty on them. 

 Owing to the success of the Serafina 0. several other vessels have 

 since been working on these grounds. For some years past Ke}' West 

 vessels have made occasional visits to these grounds, the schooner Sea 

 G^ill having Ijeen wrecked while returning from such a trip in 1886. 



Shortly after the close of the Spanish war one or two of the vessels 

 visited Cuba and brought back a few sponges. These were not gath- 

 ered by the crew, however, but were purchased from the natives. As 

 they were of an inferior grade, and duty had to be paid upon them, 

 no ert'ort w^as made to continue the business. 



PREVIOUS ABUNDANCE. 



The four tables given below show for a series of vcars the catch of 

 the sponge fleet ))y places, by kinds, the average price per pound, and 

 the relative importance of the different kinds in percentages of the total 

 quantity and value of the crop. In these the overwhelming prepon- 

 derance of Key West is very evident. Cedar Key and St. Marks have 

 dropped out of the fishery entirely, while Tarpon Springs and Apa- 

 lachicola have decreased slightly since 1897 so far as the quantity is 

 concerned. The catch for 1900, in l)oth quantity and value, exceeded 

 that for any other year for which figures are available. The catch of 

 sheepswool sponges for 1900 is lower than for 1895, but higher than 

 for the other years. The value of this kind has increased very nuich, 

 however. The catch of yellow sponges increased nearly 90 per cent, 

 while the catch of grass sponges has almost doubled since 1899. 



In the table showing the average price per pound the most notice- 

 able features are the great increases in value of the sheepswool and 

 the yellow sponges. While the sheepswool has been steadily increas- 

 ing in value for years, the yellow suddenly jumped from 29 cents per 

 pound in 1899 to 59 cents in 1900, which is the highest ever known. 

 In 1901 they soared even higher yet, souk^ lots being sold on the Key 

 West sponge wharf for an average pric(> of about $i per pound. This 



