﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  301 
  

  

  quality 
  in 
  making 
  up 
  the 
  difl'erent 
  bunches, 
  but 
  the 
  main 
  point 
  in 
  view 
  

   is 
  to 
  put 
  on 
  just 
  enough 
  damp 
  sponges 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  string. 
  

  

  The 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  diving 
  system 
  in 
  the 
  Florida 
  sponge 
  

   fishery 
  has 
  been 
  experimental!}^ 
  tried. 
  This 
  was 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  neces- 
  

   sity 
  for 
  extending 
  the 
  oi^erations 
  into 
  comj)aratively 
  deep 
  water 
  and 
  

   by 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  finding 
  sponges 
  in 
  abundance 
  in 
  water 
  too 
  deep 
  to 
  

   be 
  reached 
  with 
  i^oles. 
  In 
  1884, 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  J, 
  Arapian, 
  of 
  Key 
  West, 
  

   engaged 
  three 
  Greek 
  sponge-divers 
  to 
  come 
  to 
  Florida 
  and 
  try 
  the 
  same 
  

   methods 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  Grecian 
  Archipelago 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mediterranean 
  Sea 
  in 
  taking 
  sponges. 
  An 
  experienced 
  diver 
  from 
  New 
  

   York 
  was 
  also 
  employed 
  in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  the 
  Greeks. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  

   that 
  a 
  thorougli 
  test 
  of 
  the 
  feasibility 
  of 
  this 
  method 
  was 
  made 
  and 
  

   that 
  it 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  impracticable, 
  although 
  the 
  evident 
  disloyalty 
  of 
  

   the 
  foreign 
  divers 
  to 
  their 
  employer 
  may 
  have 
  had 
  consideiable 
  ell'ect 
  

   on 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  experiment. 
  The 
  principal 
  reasons 
  for 
  abandon- 
  

   ing 
  this 
  attempt 
  to 
  introduce 
  improved 
  methods 
  into 
  the 
  fishery 
  are 
  said 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  as 
  follows: 
  (1) 
  The 
  expense 
  of 
  maintaining 
  a 
  crew 
  of 
  

   divers 
  (the 
  salary 
  of 
  each 
  being 
  $150 
  per 
  month) 
  was 
  out 
  of 
  proportion 
  

   to 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  sponges 
  taken. 
  (2) 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  sponges 
  were 
  

   not 
  found 
  anywhere 
  in 
  very 
  dense 
  beds, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  hooker 
  could 
  secure 
  

   more 
  sponges 
  than 
  a 
  diver 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  grounds 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  

   (3) 
  The 
  uneven 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  unfavorable 
  

   for 
  divers. 
  (4) 
  The 
  heavy 
  and 
  cumbrous 
  diving 
  apparatns 
  had 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  young 
  sponges, 
  a 
  result 
  that 
  had 
  

   been 
  observed 
  in 
  Europe 
  and 
  in 
  Turkey, 
  and 
  had 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  

   a 
  law 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  diving 
  method 
  on 
  the 
  sponge-grounds. 
  

  

  In 
  1889, 
  a 
  law 
  was 
  enacted 
  by 
  the 
  Florida 
  legislatnre, 
  which 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  

   force, 
  forbidding 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  sponges 
  by 
  diving 
  either 
  with 
  or 
  without 
  

   diving 
  suits. 
  

  

  The 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  method 
  of 
  utilizing 
  the 
  sponge-grounds 
  now 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  hookers 
  in 
  water, 
  say, 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  75 
  feet 
  deep, 
  would 
  

   prove 
  a 
  great 
  boon 
  to 
  the 
  sponge 
  industry. 
  Not 
  the 
  least 
  important 
  

   outcome 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  discovery 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  opportunity 
  afforded 
  tlie 
  

   shallower 
  grounds 
  to 
  recuperate 
  by 
  the 
  diversion 
  of 
  the 
  spongers' 
  opera- 
  

   tions. 
  In 
  this 
  connection, 
  attention 
  may 
  be 
  di"awn 
  to 
  the 
  advisabihty 
  

   of 
  experimenting 
  with 
  an 
  apparatus 
  constructed 
  on 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  the 
  

   so 
  called 
  " 
  deep-water 
  oyster 
  tongs," 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  oyster-beds 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  tongs 
  become 
  readily 
  accessible. 
  

  

  The 
  tongs 
  in 
  question, 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  types, 
  consist 
  essen- 
  

   tially 
  of 
  two 
  curved 
  iron 
  bars 
  riveted 
  together 
  near 
  the 
  middle, 
  to 
  permit 
  

   free 
  motion. 
  These 
  are 
  attached 
  on 
  one 
  extremity 
  to 
  the 
  t«'oth 
  and 
  

   (ladles, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  to 
  the 
  ropes 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  whicli 
  the 
  ai)i)aratus 
  

   is 
  lowered 
  and 
  raised. 
  Beneath 
  the 
  crossing 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  arms 
  a 
  

   weight 
  is 
  suspended. 
  To 
  the 
  upper 
  bar 
  of 
  one 
  side 
  an 
  iron 
  link 
  or 
  looj) 
  

   is 
  attached 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  staple, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  bar, 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  

   link, 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  iron 
  peg 
  or 
  stud, 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  link 
  fits 
  when 
  the 
  teeth 
  

   are 
  separated 
  to 
  their 
  widest 
  extent. 
  When 
  oystering 
  begins, 
  the 
  arius 
  

  

  