﻿270 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  admitted, 
  however, 
  that 
  tliis 
  provision 
  is 
  uot 
  enforced. 
  Accordiug 
  to 
  

   this 
  law 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  sponge 
  is 
  determined 
  by 
  taking 
  its 
  diameter, 
  

   measnring 
  across 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  sponge, 
  no 
  attention 
  being 
  given 
  to 
  

   the 
  height. 
  Some 
  dealers 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  minimnm 
  size 
  should 
  be 
  

   increased 
  to 
  5 
  inches, 
  and 
  all 
  are 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  enforcing 
  the 
  law. 
  

  

  VELVET 
  SPONGE. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  more 
  limited 
  in 
  its 
  distribution 
  than 
  the 
  sheei)Swool, 
  

   is 
  more 
  rare 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  commercial 
  sponges, 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   decreasing 
  more 
  rapidly 
  than 
  any 
  other. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  rarely, 
  if 
  at 
  all, 
  

   on 
  the 
  Eock 
  Island 
  or 
  Anclote 
  grounds, 
  but 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  and 
  the 
  keys 
  between 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  Biscayne 
  Bay. 
  

   The 
  best 
  beds 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  lie 
  about 
  the 
  Matecuinbe 
  Keys 
  and 
  between 
  

   the 
  reef 
  and 
  the 
  chain 
  of 
  keys 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Hawks 
  Chan- 
  

   nel. 
  It 
  usually 
  grows 
  on 
  live 
  coral 
  bottom, 
  in 
  rather 
  shallow 
  water. 
  

   The 
  depths 
  given 
  by 
  different 
  persons 
  vary 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  25 
  feet, 
  with 
  15 
  to 
  

   18 
  feet 
  as 
  the 
  usual 
  depth. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  grow 
  in 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  shapes, 
  

   and 
  is 
  consequently 
  less 
  regular 
  or 
  uniform 
  than 
  other 
  species. 
  In 
  

   size 
  it 
  runs 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  12 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  the 
  average 
  being 
  about 
  8 
  

   inches. 
  It 
  probably 
  grows 
  less 
  rapidly 
  than 
  the 
  sheepswool, 
  though 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  spongers 
  say 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  reach 
  a 
  commercial 
  size 
  in 
  a 
  year. 
  

  

  YELLOW 
  SPONGE. 
  

  

  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  yellow 
  sponge 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  sheepswool. 
  It 
  grows 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  bottom 
  with 
  the 
  sheeps- 
  

   wool 
  and 
  grass 
  sponges 
  on 
  the 
  Eock 
  Island 
  and 
  Anclote 
  grounds 
  and 
  

   among 
  the 
  keys. 
  It 
  is 
  i)robably 
  most 
  abundant 
  among 
  the 
  keys. 
  All 
  

   agree, 
  however, 
  that 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  keys 
  are 
  of 
  much 
  better 
  quality 
  

   than 
  those 
  from 
  "down 
  the 
  bay," 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  much 
  softer 
  and 
  tougher. 
  

   It 
  is 
  found 
  usually 
  on 
  rock 
  bottom, 
  interspersed 
  among 
  the 
  sheepswool, 
  

   though 
  it 
  often 
  grows 
  on 
  grassy 
  bottom 
  with 
  the 
  grass 
  sponge. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  keys 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  of 
  water, 
  while 
  elsewhere 
  it 
  

   usually 
  occurs 
  at 
  greater 
  depths. 
  In 
  size 
  those 
  gathered 
  range 
  from 
  

   about 
  4 
  to 
  8 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  species, 
  ranking 
  

   next 
  in 
  abundance 
  to 
  the 
  grass 
  sijonge. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  keys 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  decreasing 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  but, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  poorer 
  quality 
  of 
  those 
  found 
  down 
  the 
  bay, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  sought 
  

   after 
  there, 
  and 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  decreasing 
  so 
  rapidly. 
  

  

  GRASS 
  SPONGE. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  Florida 
  si)onges, 
  and 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  

   each 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  important 
  sponging-grounds. 
  Large 
  numbers 
  come 
  

   from 
  Eock 
  Island 
  and 
  the 
  Anclote 
  grounds, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  

   keys 
  and 
  Biscayne 
  Bay. 
  The 
  best 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  Anclote 
  grounds 
  are 
  said 
  

   to 
  be 
  off 
  Bay 
  port 
  and 
  Big 
  Bank, 
  about 
  25 
  or 
  30 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  Tarpon 
  

   Springs. 
  The 
  sponges 
  from 
  these 
  grounds 
  are 
  of 
  superior 
  quality, 
  

   though 
  many 
  claim 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  grass 
  sponges 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  keys. 
  

  

  