﻿268 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  commercial 
  sponges 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Africa 
  are 
  obtained 
  in 
  

   depths 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  110 
  feet, 
  but 
  there 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  of 
  rock; 
  the 
  bars 
  

   are 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  more 
  uniformly 
  solid, 
  while 
  our 
  bars 
  are 
  limited 
  in 
  

   area 
  and 
  surrounded 
  by 
  sand. 
  The 
  African 
  bars 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   solid, 
  Hint-like 
  rock, 
  while 
  those 
  of 
  Florida 
  are 
  broken 
  and 
  discontinuous. 
  

  

  The 
  sheepswool 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  commercially 
  of 
  all 
  

   the 
  Florida 
  sponges, 
  but 
  is 
  by 
  some 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   species 
  ; 
  others 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  grass 
  and 
  the 
  yellow 
  are 
  really 
  more 
  numer- 
  

   ous, 
  though, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  less 
  commercial 
  value, 
  fewer 
  are 
  marketed. 
  

  

  The 
  sheepswool 
  sponge 
  attains 
  quite 
  a 
  large 
  size. 
  Some 
  have 
  been 
  

   found 
  weighing 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  3 
  to 
  4^ 
  pounds. 
  However 
  frequently 
  this 
  

   may 
  have 
  occurred 
  formerly, 
  sponges 
  of 
  that 
  size 
  are 
  rarely, 
  if 
  ever, 
  

   seen 
  now. 
  Those 
  obtained 
  now 
  run 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  12 
  inches, 
  or 
  occasionally 
  

  

  15 
  inches, 
  in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  average 
  size 
  probably 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  8 
  

   to 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  8 
  inches 
  in 
  height. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  

   buyers 
  estimates 
  that 
  those 
  being 
  brought 
  in 
  now 
  average 
  about 
  12 
  to 
  

  

  16 
  to 
  the 
  pound. 
  

  

  The 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  sponge 
  is 
  said 
  not 
  to 
  change 
  much 
  as 
  the 
  

   sponge 
  gets 
  older, 
  but 
  to 
  remain 
  essentially 
  the 
  same, 
  however 
  long 
  

   the 
  sponge 
  may 
  be 
  permitted 
  to 
  remain 
  unmolested. 
  Any 
  important 
  

   irregularities 
  in 
  form 
  or 
  departure 
  from 
  the 
  typical 
  shape 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  

   interference 
  with 
  its 
  growth 
  through 
  crowding 
  or 
  contact 
  with 
  other 
  

   objects. 
  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  regular 
  

   and 
  uniform 
  in 
  shape 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  sponges. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  grow 
  pretty 
  

   well 
  scattered, 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  colonies, 
  interspersed 
  among 
  gorgoniaus, 
  

   corals, 
  and 
  other 
  sponges. 
  

  

  Accurate 
  information 
  regarding 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  

   sponge 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  complete 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  desired. 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  by 
  many 
  

   observers 
  to 
  grow 
  the 
  most 
  rapidly 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  sponges. 
  Some 
  ex- 
  

   periments 
  performed 
  and 
  observations 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  T. 
  Sawyer 
  and 
  

   others 
  lead 
  them 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  this 
  sj^ecies 
  may, 
  under 
  favorable 
  

   conditions, 
  grow 
  from 
  the 
  beginning 
  to 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  a 
  pound 
  weight 
  in 
  

   six 
  months. 
  

  

  As 
  illustrating 
  the 
  short-sighted 
  policy 
  of 
  the 
  spongers 
  in 
  pulling 
  the 
  

   sponges 
  just 
  so 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  attained 
  the 
  minimum 
  lawful 
  size, 
  

   and 
  even 
  sooner, 
  a 
  case 
  may 
  be 
  cited 
  in 
  which 
  1,250 
  sheepswool 
  sponges 
  

   were 
  sold 
  for 
  $5. 
  If 
  these 
  1,250 
  small 
  sponges 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  grow 
  for 
  six 
  months 
  longer 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  sold 
  

   for 
  at 
  least 
  $390. 
  

  

  The 
  opinion 
  that 
  this 
  sponge 
  will 
  grow 
  from 
  the 
  spat 
  to 
  good 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  size 
  in 
  one 
  year 
  is 
  practically 
  unanimous. 
  Tlie 
  spongers 
  all 
  

   testify 
  that 
  grounds 
  which 
  were 
  thoroughly 
  fished 
  out 
  one 
  year 
  are 
  

   found 
  to 
  yield 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  commercial 
  sponges 
  twelve 
  months 
  

   thereafter. 
  

  

  It 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  that 
  sponges 
  have 
  many 
  natural 
  enemies. 
  Many 
  

   persons 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  conversant 
  with 
  the 
  business 
  think 
  that 
  crabs 
  do 
  

   some 
  damage. 
  The 
  spongers 
  say 
  that 
  in 
  many 
  instances, 
  when 
  the 
  

  

  