﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  299 
  

  

  in 
  some 
  features 
  surpass 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  i)art 
  of 
  the 
  State; 
  the 
  

   turtle 
  fishery, 
  the 
  kingfisli 
  fishery, 
  and 
  the 
  grunt 
  fishery, 
  for 
  instance, 
  

   are 
  more 
  extensive 
  than 
  at 
  all 
  other 
  centers 
  combined. 
  

  

  THE 
  SPONGE 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  Importance. 
  — 
  The 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  is 
  of 
  more 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  citizens 
  

   of 
  Key 
  AVest 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  branch 
  of 
  business. 
  While 
  less 
  extensive 
  

   than 
  the 
  manufacturing' 
  of 
  cigars, 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  most 
  respects 
  more 
  beneficial 
  

   to 
  the 
  people 
  who 
  have 
  property 
  interests 
  or 
  are 
  regular 
  residents 
  of 
  

   the 
  city. 
  The 
  outlay 
  for 
  supplies 
  and 
  utensils 
  required 
  by 
  the 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  sponge 
  fleet, 
  amounting 
  to 
  $100 
  or 
  $200 
  per 
  vessel 
  each 
  trip, 
  is 
  no 
  

   inconsiderable 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  industrial 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  jdace, 
  while 
  the 
  

   large 
  cash 
  sums 
  put 
  in 
  circulation 
  hy 
  the 
  sponge 
  buyers 
  constitute 
  the 
  

   principal 
  source 
  of 
  ready 
  money 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  itopulation. 
  

  

  Apparatus 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishery. 
  — 
  The 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  at 
  

   this 
  time 
  presents 
  few 
  new 
  features 
  that 
  need 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  at 
  length. 
  

   With 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  exceptions 
  the 
  methods 
  and 
  apparatus 
  are 
  the 
  same 
  

   that 
  have 
  been 
  employed 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  fully 
  described 
  

   in 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  Commission. 
  

  

  The 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  vessels 
  of 
  a 
  schooner 
  or 
  sloop 
  

   rig 
  ranging 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  47 
  tons 
  (averaging 
  about 
  13 
  tons), 
  which 
  resort 
  

   chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  with 
  smaller 
  vessels, 
  

   mostly 
  sloops 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  tons' 
  burden, 
  which 
  make 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  

   on 
  the 
  grounds 
  about 
  the 
  keys 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  and 
  eastern 
  Florida 
  coasts. 
  

   Tiie 
  larger 
  vessels 
  carry 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  13 
  men 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  ones 
  from 
  3 
  

   to 
  5, 
  the 
  number 
  almost 
  always 
  being 
  odd. 
  Two 
  men 
  go 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  

   dingies 
  or 
  small 
  boats 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  sponging 
  is 
  done, 
  the 
  odd 
  man 
  of 
  

   the 
  crew 
  being 
  left 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  vessel. 
  The 
  larger 
  vessels 
  have 
  a 
  

   market 
  value 
  of 
  $500 
  to 
  $4,500, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  their 
  outfit. 
  The 
  latter 
  

   consists 
  of 
  boats, 
  fuel, 
  food, 
  cooking 
  utensils, 
  and 
  the 
  sponge 
  ajij^ai 
  atus, 
  

   and 
  is 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,000 
  to 
  $1,500. 
  The 
  average 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   vessels 
  is 
  about 
  $430, 
  including 
  outfit. 
  

  

  Sponges 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  3-toothed 
  hook 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  long 
  

   pole. 
  Poles 
  of 
  various 
  lengths 
  are 
  used, 
  to 
  correspond 
  with 
  the 
  different 
  

   depths 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  sponging 
  is 
  done, 
  liefore 
  the 
  d('i)h'tion 
  

   of 
  the 
  shoaler 
  grounds 
  comparatively 
  short 
  poles 
  were 
  employed, 
  but 
  

   as 
  the 
  spongers 
  have 
  extended 
  their 
  operations 
  into 
  deeper 
  and 
  deeper 
  

   water 
  longer 
  poles 
  have 
  been 
  required, 
  until 
  at 
  the 
  ])resent 
  time 
  the 
  

   limit 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  reached 
  in 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  50 
  or 
  52 
  feet. 
  On 
  the 
  

   larger 
  vessels 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  different 
  lengths 
  of 
  poles 
  may 
  be 
  used, 
  but 
  on 
  

   the 
  small 
  craft 
  that 
  frequent 
  the 
  shore 
  grounds 
  poles 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   lengths 
  (18 
  to 
  25 
  feet) 
  are 
  usually 
  sufficient. 
  A 
  vessel 
  with 
  a, 
  crew 
  of 
  

   11 
  men 
  will 
  have 
  15 
  or 
  18 
  poles 
  and 
  hooks, 
  while 
  a 
  small 
  shore-sponger 
  

   will 
  require 
  only 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  poles. 
  

  

  About 
  ]8S8 
  a 
  slight 
  change 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  

   sponge-hook. 
  This 
  change 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  necessary 
  when, 
  owing 
  to 
  

  

  