﻿278 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Aceordiuf 
  to 
  all 
  reports, 
  ou 
  some 
  grounds 
  spouges 
  grow 
  much 
  faster 
  than 
  on 
  others. 
  

   Thev 
  have 
  been 
  noticed 
  to 
  grow 
  to 
  full 
  size 
  inside 
  of 
  four 
  mouths 
  iu 
  oertaiu 
  locali- 
  

   ties 
  along 
  this 
  coast, 
  while 
  at 
  other 
  localities 
  it 
  takes 
  young 
  sponges 
  at 
  least 
  six 
  

   months 
  to 
  grow 
  to 
  full 
  size. 
  This 
  fact 
  can 
  he 
  put 
  to 
  advantage 
  by 
  restricting 
  sponge 
  

   gathering 
  during 
  several 
  months 
  on 
  certain 
  grounds, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  sponge 
  

   fishermen 
  can 
  gather 
  the 
  sponges 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  this 
  coast. 
  However, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  the 
  sponge 
  flshcrmen 
  to 
  have 
  not 
  only 
  good 
  weather 
  but 
  also 
  clear 
  water, 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  enable 
  them 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  to 
  locate 
  the 
  sponges, 
  it 
  may 
  happen 
  that 
  

   when 
  they 
  are 
  out 
  on 
  their 
  expeditions 
  they 
  may 
  meet 
  with 
  muddy 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  unre- 
  

   stricted 
  sponge-grounds 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  restricted 
  grounds 
  during 
  that 
  

   season 
  the 
  water 
  may 
  be 
  clear 
  and 
  just 
  iu 
  condition 
  to 
  allow 
  them 
  to 
  locate 
  and 
  to 
  

   "■ather 
  the 
  sponges. 
  However, 
  as 
  the 
  benefit 
  that 
  sponge 
  fishermen 
  could 
  derive 
  

   from 
  the 
  above 
  restriction 
  of 
  certain 
  grounds 
  during 
  certain 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   would 
  soon 
  1)6 
  important 
  and 
  lasting, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  no 
  proper 
  objections 
  could 
  

   bo 
  ofiered 
  to 
  the 
  method. 
  

  

  Li(jisJal\on 
  needed. 
  — 
  The 
  legislation 
  needed 
  for 
  the 
  i)rotection 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  beds 
  on 
  

   the 
  coasts 
  of 
  Florida 
  avouLI 
  be 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  three 
  following 
  essential 
  points 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  To 
  divide 
  the 
  sponge-grounds 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  into 
  sections 
  or 
  squares 
  of 
  

   100 
  miles, 
  more 
  or 
  less, 
  each, 
  and 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  the 
  sponges 
  on 
  each 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  certain 
  intervals 
  of 
  time 
  only, 
  thus 
  leaving 
  the 
  sponges 
  which 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   sections 
  or 
  squares 
  at 
  rest 
  during 
  that 
  time, 
  to 
  grow 
  and 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  seeding 
  sizes. 
  

  

  2. 
  To 
  prevent 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  small 
  or 
  nndersized 
  sponges. 
  

  

  3. 
  To 
  forbid 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  submarine 
  diving 
  apparatus 
  on 
  the 
  sponge 
  beds, 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  parties 
  who 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  may 
  perhaps 
  undertake 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  some 
  to 
  the 
  

   injury 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  beds. 
  

  

  OYSTERS. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  ou 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  southern 
  Florida 
  in 
  any 
  

   abundance, 
  but 
  ou 
  both 
  coasts 
  iu 
  the 
  northern 
  i^art 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  beds 
  are 
  found. 
  At 
  various 
  iilaces 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast, 
  between 
  

   Fernandina 
  and 
  Ijiscayne 
  Bay, 
  are 
  grounds 
  which 
  are 
  worked 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent, 
  those 
  in 
  Nassau 
  County 
  being 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  and 
  produc- 
  

   tive. 
  The 
  beds 
  in 
  Indiau 
  Eiver 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  important 
  to 
  supply 
  

   the 
  local 
  demand 
  and 
  furnish 
  a 
  considerable 
  surplus 
  for 
  shipment. 
  

   The 
  best 
  beds 
  are 
  apparently 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  Oysters 
  are 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  any 
  numbers 
  in 
  Lake 
  Worth, 
  but 
  

   in 
  Biscayue 
  Bay 
  there 
  are 
  beds 
  which 
  can 
  probably 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  produce 
  

   a 
  fair 
  yield. 
  Below 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  no 
  oysters 
  of 
  commercial 
  value 
  are 
  

   known 
  until 
  Charlotte 
  Harbor 
  is 
  reached, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  It 
  should 
  

   be 
  stated, 
  however, 
  that 
  this 
  i)ortion 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  sys- 
  

   tematically 
  examined 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  locating 
  any 
  oyster 
  beds 
  that 
  

   may 
  exist. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  improbable 
  that 
  such 
  an 
  examination 
  would 
  

   show 
  the 
  existence 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  of 
  oyster-grounds 
  of 
  .some 
  value. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  southern 
  beds 
  of 
  imiwrtance 
  on 
  the'west-coast 
  are 
  located 
  

   at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Manatee 
  River, 
  in 
  Sarasota 
  Bay, 
  and 
  at 
  Cape 
  Haze, 
  

   in 
  Charlotte 
  Harbor. 
  Besides 
  these, 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  small 
  beds 
  at 
  

   various 
  places 
  along 
  this 
  coast 
  which 
  are 
  worked 
  to 
  some 
  extent. 
  The 
  

   swpply 
  from 
  all 
  these 
  beds 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  steadily 
  decreasing, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   the 
  general 
  opinion 
  that 
  unless 
  something 
  is 
  done 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  beds 
  

   they 
  will 
  soon 
  become 
  entirely 
  depleted. 
  Some 
  years 
  ago 
  Tampa 
  drew 
  

   its 
  supply 
  principally 
  from 
  Old 
  Tampa 
  Bay, 
  but 
  the 
  beds 
  at 
  that 
  place 
  

   became 
  entirely 
  depleted 
  and 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  worked 
  at 
  all 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  

  

  