﻿246 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [30] 
  

  

  limning- 
  in. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  strong 
  westerly 
  wind 
  and 
  rather 
  

   eool 
  weather 
  might 
  prevent 
  mackerel 
  from 
  schooling, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  

   known 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  "show 
  up" 
  much 
  when 
  such 
  conditions 
  prevail. 
  

  

  Porpoises 
  were 
  playing 
  about 
  the 
  ship 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  5th, 
  and 
  

   I 
  tried 
  to 
  harpoon 
  one. 
  He 
  was 
  too 
  far 
  under 
  water, 
  however, 
  for 
  the 
  

   iron 
  to 
  fasten, 
  and 
  no 
  other 
  opportunity 
  was 
  presented 
  for 
  making 
  a 
  

   capture, 
  since 
  the 
  school 
  left 
  the 
  ship's 
  bow 
  immediately 
  after. 
  

  

  We 
  entered 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  late 
  on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  5th, 
  and 
  

   arrived 
  at 
  Washington 
  at 
  1.30 
  p. 
  m. 
  on 
  the 
  following 
  day. 
  

  

  II. 
  -NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  KEY 
  WEST. 
  

   A. 
  — 
  The 
  sponge 
  fishery. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  fishery 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  is 
  that 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  sponge 
  

   for 
  its 
  object, 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  reckoned 
  among 
  the 
  leading 
  industries 
  

   of 
  the 
  port. 
  Originating 
  about 
  1S52, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  first 
  understood 
  that 
  

   the 
  sponges 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  were 
  of 
  commercial 
  value, 
  the 
  business 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  rapidly 
  until 
  it 
  reached 
  nearly 
  its 
  present 
  limit 
  several 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  since 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  advance 
  has 
  been 
  comparatively 
  slow. 
  

  

  Although 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  my 
  purpose, 
  in 
  these 
  notes, 
  to 
  give 
  much 
  statisti- 
  

   cal 
  data, 
  it 
  may 
  nevertheless 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  citizens 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  who 
  

   are 
  competent 
  to 
  judge 
  estimate 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  a 
  fleet 
  of 
  

   about 
  GO 
  to 
  80 
  vessels, 
  ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  50 
  tons, 
  and 
  fully 
  200 
  

   sailboats, 
  18 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  are 
  employed 
  in 
  this 
  industry, 
  while 
  

   the 
  aggregate 
  number 
  of 
  fishermen 
  who 
  man 
  this 
  fleet 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  

   1,000. 
  The 
  above 
  is 
  doubtless 
  an 
  underestimate, 
  for 
  Hall, 
  in 
  his 
  "Ke- 
  

   port 
  on 
  the 
  ship-building 
  industries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States" 
  (Vol. 
  VIII, 
  

   Tenth 
  Census), 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  "At 
  Key 
  West 
  there 
  are 
  owned 
  about 
  100 
  vessels, 
  ranging 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  

   25 
  tons, 
  costing 
  from 
  $500 
  to 
  $4,000 
  each, 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  sponge 
  busi- 
  

   ness, 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  and 
  about 
  300 
  boats, 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  tons 
  register, 
  for 
  

   sponging 
  and 
  other 
  fishing, 
  costing 
  from 
  $100 
  to 
  $500 
  each." 
  

  

  A 
  local 
  authority 
  states 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  ending 
  January 
  1, 
  1884, 
  

   the 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  "3,003 
  bales, 
  or 
  20G,945 
  pounds, 
  of 
  sponges 
  were 
  

   bought 
  and 
  shipped 
  from 
  Key 
  West, 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  paid 
  for 
  same 
  

   reaching 
  1244,309.50."* 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  forms 
  of 
  American 
  sponges 
  are 
  specifically 
  identical 
  

   with 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean, 
  according 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Alpheus 
  Hyatt, 
  

   who 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  recognized 
  authorities 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  but 
  he 
  

   finds 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  subspecific 
  differences. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  five 
  kinds 
  of 
  sponges 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  fishermen, 
  

   though 
  these 
  may 
  possibly 
  be 
  subdivided 
  into 
  grades 
  according 
  to 
  

   their 
  size 
  or 
  other 
  qualifications. 
  They 
  are 
  (1) 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  sponge 
  

   (tipongia 
  equina 
  Sch., 
  subsp. 
  gossypina), 
  (2) 
  yellow 
  sponge 
  {8. 
  agaricina, 
  

  

  * 
  "Tlio 
  Key 
  of 
  the 
  Gull'? 
  (Key 
  West), 
  December 
  20, 
  1884. 
  

  

  