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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   MR. 
  ARAPIAN 
  ON 
  THE 
  FLORIDA 
  SPONGES. 
  

  

  In 
  compliance 
  with 
  a 
  request, 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  J. 
  Arapiaii, 
  tlie 
  well-known 
  

   sponge-dealer 
  of 
  Key 
  West, 
  furnished 
  the 
  following 
  interesting 
  and 
  

   valuable 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  commercial 
  Florida 
  sponges. 
  Mr. 
  

   Arapian 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  sponge 
  business 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  and 
  is 
  familiar 
  

   not 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  sponge-grounds 
  of 
  Florida, 
  but 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  : 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  — 
  Sponges 
  on 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  Florida 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  starting 
  from 
  Bis- 
  

   cayue 
  Bay 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  on 
  the 
  soutbeast 
  of 
  Fbn'ida, 
  and 
  around 
  all 
  tbo 
  keys 
  in 
  south 
  

   Florida, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  in 
  places 
  ; 
  then, 
  proceeding 
  toward 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida, 
  

   they 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  Gasparilla 
  Island, 
  Osprey, 
  New 
  Pass, 
  Sarasota 
  Key, 
  Mullet 
  Key, 
  

   Sand 
  Key, 
  Clearwater 
  Key, 
  Long 
  Island. 
  Anclote 
  Keys, 
  up 
  to 
  Cedar 
  Keys, 
  and 
  from 
  

   Cedar 
  Keys 
  up 
  to 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay. 
  

  

  The 
  liber 
  of 
  sponges 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  spec.es 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  sponge 
  bars 
  

   differs 
  somewhat, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  these 
  bars. 
  Those 
  from 
  a 
  place 
  called 
  

   Fishbone 
  Key 
  sponge-grounds 
  are 
  of 
  much 
  thicker 
  fiber, 
  and 
  thereby 
  stronger 
  and 
  

   much 
  heavier 
  in 
  weight 
  than 
  sponges 
  gathered 
  at 
  other 
  places. 
  Fishbone 
  Key 
  is 
  about 
  

   25 
  miles 
  from 
  Cedar 
  Keys. 
  At 
  Pepperfish 
  Key, 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  from 
  Fishbone 
  Key, 
  

   the 
  sponges 
  are 
  also 
  of 
  thick 
  tissue 
  or 
  liber 
  and 
  of 
  heavy 
  weight, 
  but 
  not 
  quite 
  as 
  

   much 
  so 
  as 
  those 
  from 
  Fishbone 
  Key. 
  At 
  another 
  place, 
  called 
  Ocilla 
  Bay, 
  in 
  contrast 
  

   to 
  the 
  two 
  above-mentioned 
  places, 
  sponges 
  are 
  of 
  very 
  thin 
  liber; 
  therefore 
  of 
  light 
  

   weight. 
  Ocilla 
  Bay 
  is 
  about 
  40 
  miles 
  northwest 
  of 
  Pepperfish 
  Key. 
  

  

  Character 
  of 
  the 
  hottonu—THe 
  bottom 
  on 
  which 
  sponges 
  grow 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  ridgy 
  or 
  undu- 
  

   lating 
  rock, 
  which 
  looks 
  alive 
  to 
  the 
  eye, 
  so 
  to 
  say, 
  and 
  is 
  invariably 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  

   species 
  of 
  short 
  moss 
  and 
  tall 
  sea 
  feathers. 
  The 
  rocky 
  bottoms 
  on 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   growth 
  of 
  moss 
  and 
  sea 
  feathers 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  bo 
  bare 
  of 
  sponges 
  also. 
  

   This 
  moss 
  is 
  of 
  several 
  colors, 
  viz, 
  either 
  red, 
  brown, 
  or 
  white. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  my 
  impression 
  that 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  a 
  sponge 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  color 
  as 
  the 
  rock 
  on 
  

   which 
  the 
  said 
  sponge 
  has 
  been 
  growing. 
  It 
  has 
  certainly 
  been 
  noticed 
  that 
  ev^y 
  

   species 
  of 
  sponge, 
  in 
  its 
  natural 
  condition, 
  and 
  before 
  being 
  artificially 
  bleached, 
  

   has 
  either 
  a 
  red 
  or 
  a 
  brown 
  or 
  a 
  Avhite 
  colored 
  root, 
  which 
  corresponds 
  with 
  the 
  

   color 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  sponges 
  have 
  been 
  growing. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  my 
  belief 
  that 
  

   the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  moss 
  and 
  the 
  sea 
  feathers 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  on 
  

   which 
  such 
  moss 
  and 
  sea 
  feathers 
  are 
  growing. 
  If 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  of 
  red 
  rock, 
  the 
  

   sponges 
  growing 
  on 
  it 
  will 
  also 
  have 
  red 
  roots, 
  and 
  the 
  sea 
  moss 
  growing 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  rock 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  red 
  color. 
  If 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  of 
  l)rown 
  or 
  white 
  rock, 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  

   the 
  si^onges 
  growing 
  on 
  it, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  sea 
  moss, 
  will 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  colors. 
  

  

  Depth 
  of 
  water. 
  — 
  Sponges 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  present 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  12 
  feet 
  to 
  

   about 
  50 
  feet. 
  In 
  deeper 
  waters 
  the 
  bed 
  rocks 
  are 
  generally 
  scattered, 
  few 
  in 
  

   number, 
  and 
  of 
  short 
  extent. 
  The 
  bed 
  rocks 
  in 
  deeper 
  waters 
  than 
  56 
  feet 
  seem 
  to 
  

   be 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  nature, 
  and 
  barren. 
  The 
  bottom 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  is 
  ' 
  

   generally 
  sandy 
  at 
  greater 
  depths 
  than 
  56 
  feet, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  reports 
  of 
  

   the 
  oldest 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishermen 
  here. 
  

  

  Abundance. 
  — 
  Sponges 
  are 
  still 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida, 
  but 
  the 
  almost 
  

   continual 
  bad 
  weather 
  at 
  sea 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  years 
  has 
  jirevented 
  the 
  securing 
  

   of 
  as 
  large 
  quantities 
  as 
  formerly. 
  

  

  Relative 
  size. 
  — 
  The 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  sponges 
  in 
  Florida 
  waters 
  attain 
  sometimes 
  

   quite 
  large 
  proportions. 
  The 
  species 
  called 
  sheepswool, 
  yellow, 
  and 
  grass 
  sponges 
  

   attain 
  the 
  largest 
  sizes. 
  There 
  are 
  frequently 
  seen 
  sheepswool 
  sponges 
  measuring 
  

   15 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  by 
  20 
  inches 
  in 
  depth. 
  The 
  heaviest 
  sheepswool 
  sponge 
  that 
  

   I 
  have 
  come 
  across 
  weighed 
  17 
  pounds. 
  . 
  It 
  was 
  secured 
  in 
  the 
  Northwest 
  Channel 
  

   near 
  Key 
  West. 
  Other 
  species, 
  as 
  the 
  glove 
  sponge 
  and 
  the 
  hardhead 
  sponge, 
  do 
  

   not 
  usually 
  giow 
  to 
  larger 
  sizes 
  than 
  8 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  inches 
  in 
  depth. 
  

   Some 
  few 
  larger 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  secured 
  at 
  times, 
  however. 
  

  

  