﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  269 
  

  

  sponge 
  is 
  brought 
  up 
  ou 
  the 
  hook, 
  a 
  crab 
  is 
  found 
  occupying 
  a 
  cavity 
  

   in 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  sponge, 
  aud 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  crus- 
  

   tacean 
  has 
  eaten 
  the 
  sponge 
  tissue 
  away, 
  thus 
  forming 
  the 
  cavity 
  which 
  

   it 
  may 
  afterwards 
  occupy; 
  others 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  crab 
  finds 
  tlie 
  cavity 
  

   ah'eady 
  existing 
  and 
  simply 
  uses 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  place 
  of 
  retreat, 
  and 
  this 
  would 
  

   seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  more 
  reasonable 
  view. 
  

  

  The 
  greatest 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  sponges, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  spongers, 
  is 
  that 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  so-called 
  "black 
  water" 
  or 
  "poison 
  water." 
  Just 
  what 
  

   this 
  is 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  definitely 
  known, 
  although 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  dates 
  back 
  many 
  years. 
  The 
  more 
  

   prevalent 
  opinion 
  is 
  that 
  heavy 
  rains 
  cause 
  a 
  strong 
  flow 
  of 
  fresh 
  

   water 
  from 
  off 
  the 
  land 
  into 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  this 
  water, 
  being 
  heavily 
  

   impregnated 
  with 
  decaying 
  vegetable 
  matter 
  and 
  spreading 
  out 
  over 
  

   the 
  sponge 
  grounds, 
  poisons 
  the 
  sea 
  water 
  and 
  kills 
  the 
  sponges. 
  It 
  is 
  

   claimed 
  that 
  the 
  poison 
  water 
  always 
  follows 
  immediately 
  after 
  unusu- 
  

   ally 
  heavy 
  and 
  continued 
  rains. 
  An 
  objection 
  urged 
  against 
  this 
  belief 
  

   is 
  that 
  this 
  water, 
  being 
  fresh, 
  merely 
  spreads 
  out 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  

   does 
  not 
  reach 
  the 
  sponges 
  except 
  in 
  very 
  shallow 
  water. 
  Those 
  who 
  

   hold 
  this 
  view 
  maintain 
  that 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  sponging 
  vessels 
  to 
  

   bring 
  in 
  good 
  fares 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  water 
  is 
  

   not 
  because 
  the 
  sponges 
  have 
  been 
  killed, 
  but 
  because 
  the 
  spongers 
  are 
  

   unable 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  through 
  the 
  colored 
  water. 
  Attemi)ts 
  have 
  even 
  

   been 
  made 
  to 
  devise 
  a 
  water-glass 
  which 
  would 
  enable 
  the 
  sponger 
  to 
  

   see 
  the 
  sponges 
  below 
  the 
  black 
  water. 
  Some 
  are 
  inclined 
  to 
  the 
  

   belief 
  that 
  the 
  poison 
  water 
  comes 
  not 
  from 
  the 
  land, 
  but 
  rather 
  from 
  

   subterranean 
  eruptions. 
  It 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  sponges 
  have 
  been 
  really 
  

   killed 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  only 
  once 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  twenty-five 
  years. 
  

  

  A 
  peculiar 
  malady 
  among 
  the 
  sponges 
  between 
  Knight 
  Key 
  and 
  

   Cape 
  Sable 
  occurred 
  in 
  1895. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  sponges 
  appeared 
  all 
  

   right 
  until 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  when 
  the 
  whole 
  inside 
  

   would 
  drop 
  out, 
  leaving 
  nothing 
  but 
  a 
  mere 
  shell. 
  What 
  could 
  have 
  

   caused 
  the 
  decay 
  of 
  the 
  inside 
  no 
  one 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  explain. 
  

   According 
  to 
  one 
  witness, 
  these 
  sponges 
  were 
  hollowed 
  out 
  when 
  

   brought 
  up, 
  aud 
  usually 
  a 
  crab 
  was 
  found 
  occupying 
  the 
  cavity. 
  

  

  Whatever 
  the 
  black 
  water 
  may 
  be 
  and 
  whatever 
  may 
  be 
  its 
  effect, 
  it 
  

   is 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  sponge 
  is 
  decreasing 
  in 
  numbers 
  very 
  

   rapidly. 
  All 
  are 
  agreed 
  upon 
  this 
  point, 
  and 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  decrease 
  

   is 
  not 
  difticult 
  to 
  understand. 
  While 
  500 
  bunches 
  are 
  now 
  considered 
  

   a 
  good 
  cargo, 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  1,000 
  to 
  1,500 
  or 
  even 
  1,800 
  bunches 
  were 
  

   often 
  brought 
  in 
  at 
  a 
  single 
  trip. 
  Tlie 
  decrease 
  continues 
  from 
  year 
  

   to 
  year, 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  fishi-ng 
  is 
  done 
  in 
  deeper 
  and 
  deeper 
  water, 
  

   and 
  the 
  sponges 
  are 
  harder 
  to 
  get 
  each 
  succeeding 
  year, 
  (i 
  rounds 
  

   which 
  are 
  fished 
  out 
  one 
  year 
  are 
  visited 
  and 
  raked 
  over 
  again 
  the 
  next 
  

   year, 
  without 
  giving 
  them 
  sutticient 
  time 
  to 
  recuperate. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  law 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Florida 
  governing 
  the 
  matter 
  makes 
  

   it 
  unlawful 
  to 
  take 
  any 
  sponge 
  under 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  It 
  is 
  

  

  