﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  271 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  keys 
  aud 
  in 
  Biscayiie 
  Bay 
  the 
  grass 
  sponge 
  is 
  obtained 
  in 
  

   3 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  of 
  water, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  water 
  some- 
  

   what 
  deeper. 
  It 
  grows 
  on 
  either 
  rock 
  or 
  sand 
  bottom, 
  but 
  usually 
  upon 
  

   the 
  former. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  easily 
  obtained 
  than 
  the 
  sheepswool, 
  chiefly, 
  no 
  

   doubt, 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  shallow 
  water. 
  

  

  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  this 
  sponge 
  than 
  in 
  

   the 
  other 
  spe(;ies. 
  It 
  is 
  usually 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  cup-shaped 
  and 
  can 
  readily 
  

   be 
  distinguished. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  attain 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  size, 
  perhaps 
  larger 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  species. 
  The 
  small 
  grass 
  sponges, 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  inclies 
  in 
  

   diameter, 
  are 
  of 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  commercial 
  value. 
  

  

  A 
  decrease 
  in 
  abundance 
  is 
  reported 
  for 
  this 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  other 
  species. 
  

  

  GLOVE 
  SPONGE. 
  

  

  The 
  glove 
  sponge 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  circumscribed 
  in 
  its 
  distribution 
  of 
  any 
  

   of 
  the 
  Florida 
  commercial 
  sponges. 
  It 
  is 
  abundant 
  among 
  the 
  keys 
  

   from 
  Key 
  West 
  to 
  Biscayne 
  Bay, 
  but 
  ])robably 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  on 
  tlie 
  

   Anclote 
  or 
  Bock 
  Island 
  grounds. 
  It 
  is 
  common 
  about 
  Key 
  West 
  in 
  

   rather 
  shallow 
  water. 
  The 
  usual 
  depth 
  at 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  obtained 
  is 
  3 
  to 
  

   10 
  feet, 
  though 
  it 
  o<^curs 
  in 
  deeper 
  water. 
  It 
  grows 
  on 
  rock 
  or 
  barry 
  

   bottom, 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  yellow 
  and 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  si)onges. 
  Its 
  rate 
  

   oi" 
  growth 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  sheepswool. 
  Commercially 
  

   the 
  glove 
  is 
  the 
  least 
  important 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  and 
  for 
  that 
  reason 
  

   it 
  probably 
  has 
  not 
  suffered 
  so 
  greatly 
  from 
  overfishing. 
  

  

  SPONGE-CULTURE. 
  

  

  The 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  sponges 
  has 
  never 
  received 
  much 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  Florida. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  ago 
  Mr. 
  J, 
  Fogarty, 
  of 
  Key 
  West, 
  

   carried 
  on 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  experiments 
  in 
  propagating 
  sponges 
  from 
  clippings. 
  

   An 
  account 
  of 
  these 
  experiments 
  has 
  been 
  given* 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Tlio 
  sponges 
  were 
  .ill 
  raised 
  from 
  cuttings; 
  tlio 
  localities 
  in 
  wliich 
  they 
  were 
  

   lilaiited 
  were 
  not 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  for 
  sponge 
  development, 
  and 
  their 
  growth 
  was, 
  

   therefore, 
  less 
  rapid 
  and 
  perfect 
  than 
  might 
  otherwise 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  case. 
  They 
  

   were 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  in 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  2A 
  le<;t 
  of 
  water, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  wires 
  

   or 
  sticks 
  riinuiMg 
  through 
  them. 
  The 
  four 
  .specimens 
  sent 
  to 
  Washington 
  were 
  

   iilldwed 
  to 
  remain 
  down 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  about 
  six 
  moiiths 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  removed. 
  

   Fully 
  four 
  months 
  elapsed 
  before 
  they 
  recovered 
  from 
  tlie 
  injury 
  done 
  them 
  in 
  tlio 
  

   cutting, 
  which 
  removes 
  the 
  outer 
  "skin" 
  along 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  section, 
  and 
  the 
  

   avtual 
  growfh 
  exhibited 
  was 
  for 
  about 
  two 
  months 
  only. 
  The 
  original 
  heigiit 
  of 
  

   eacdi 
  of 
  the 
  cuttings 
  was 
  about 
  2i 
  inches. 
  One 
  was 
  planted 
  in 
  a 
  cove 
  or 
  bigiit, 
  where 
  

   there 
  was 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  current, 
  and 
  its 
  incre;ise 
  in 
  size 
  was 
  very 
  sligiit. 
  The 
  otlier 
  

   specimens 
  Avcre 
  placed 
  in 
  tideways, 
  and 
  have 
  grown 
  to 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  times 
  their 
  

   foi 
  iiier 
  bulk. 
  Two 
  hundred 
  and 
  sixteen 
  specimens 
  in 
  all 
  were 
  planted 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   (Lite, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  Last 
  accounts 
  those 
  that 
  remained 
  were 
  doing 
  finely. 
  The 
  chief 
  

   obstacle 
  to 
  the 
  artilicial 
  cultivation 
  of 
  sponges 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  arises 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   the 
  sponge 
  iishei-nien 
  infest 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  where 
  sponges 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  

   grow, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  legal 
  protection 
  for 
  the 
  would-be 
  culturist 
  against 
  intruders. 
  

   The 
  enactment 
  of 
  judicious 
  laws 
  bearing 
  upon 
  this 
  subject 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Florida, 
  

   or 
  the 
  granting 
  of 
  special 
  privileges 
  conferring 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  occupy 
  certain 
  i)re8cribed 
  

   areas 
  for 
  sponge 
  pro])agati(in, 
  would 
  undoubtedly 
  tend 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  annual 
  i>ro- 
  

   ductiou 
  of 
  this 
  important 
  iishery. 
  

  

  * 
  Fishery 
  Industries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  see. 
  v, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  832. 
  

  

  