﻿[31] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  247 
  

  

  subsp. 
  corlosia, 
  dura, 
  punctata), 
  (o) 
  velvet 
  or 
  "boat" 
  sponge 
  (8. 
  equina, 
  

   subsp. 
  mcandriniformis), 
  (4) 
  grass 
  sponge 
  (S. 
  equina, 
  subsp. 
  cerebrifor- 
  

   mis), 
  (5) 
  glove 
  sponge 
  (S. 
  officinalis 
  hinn., 
  subsp. 
  tubulifera 
  and 
  S. 
  gram- 
  

   inca 
  Hyatt). 
  The 
  most 
  valuable 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  sponge, 
  and, 
  

   according 
  to 
  Kathbun, 
  " 
  The 
  Florida 
  sheepswool 
  sponges 
  now 
  command 
  

   a 
  higher 
  price 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  Bahamas." 
  

  

  1. 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  sponge 
  grounds 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  

   fishermen 
  are 
  about 
  Rock 
  Island, 
  Anclote 
  Keys, 
  Saint 
  Mark's, 
  in 
  Apa- 
  

   lachee 
  Bay, 
  and 
  Cedar 
  Keys. 
  " 
  The 
  Florida 
  sponge 
  grounds," 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  Kathbun, 
  "form 
  three 
  separate 
  elongate 
  stretches 
  along 
  the 
  

   southern 
  and 
  western 
  coasts 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  first 
  includes 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   of 
  the 
  Florida 
  Keys 
  ; 
  the 
  second 
  extends 
  from 
  Anclote 
  Keys 
  to 
  Cedar 
  

   Keys, 
  and 
  the 
  third 
  from 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  to 
  Saint 
  Mark's, 
  in 
  

   Apalachee 
  Bay. 
  The 
  linear 
  extent 
  of 
  these 
  grounds 
  is 
  about 
  120 
  miles, 
  

   and 
  their 
  breadth 
  varies 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  to 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  miles. 
  The 
  total 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  grounds 
  worked 
  in 
  1880 
  was 
  reckoned 
  at 
  about 
  3,000 
  

   square 
  geographical 
  miles, 
  but 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  means 
  cover 
  the 
  

   possibilities 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  as 
  many 
  additional 
  sponging 
  areas 
  have 
  been 
  

   discovered 
  since 
  then." 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  vessels 
  have 
  made 
  trips 
  

   to 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Yucatan, 
  but 
  the 
  sponges 
  taken 
  there 
  were 
  inferior 
  to 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  fishery 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  

   has 
  been 
  abandoned, 
  for 
  the 
  present, 
  at 
  least. 
  

  

  Formerly 
  sponges 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  abundance 
  in 
  shallow 
  water 
  on 
  any 
  

   of 
  the 
  grounds 
  now 
  resorted 
  to, 
  those 
  nearest 
  Key 
  West 
  being, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   the 
  ones 
  that 
  were 
  chiefly 
  visited 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  industry. 
  At 
  

   that 
  time 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  until 
  a 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  date, 
  the 
  fishery 
  was 
  

   carried 
  on 
  near 
  the 
  laud 
  in 
  depths 
  not 
  exceeding 
  18 
  feet, 
  and 
  often 
  good 
  

   results 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  5 
  or 
  G 
  feet 
  of 
  water. 
  But 
  the 
  eager 
  pursuit 
  of 
  

   the 
  sponge 
  by 
  many 
  hundreds 
  of 
  men 
  has 
  eventually 
  caused 
  its 
  deple- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  waters, 
  where 
  it 
  could 
  most 
  easily 
  be 
  procured, 
  and, 
  

   as 
  a 
  consequence, 
  it 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  sought 
  farther 
  out, 
  in 
  greater 
  depths, 
  

   even 
  as 
  deep 
  as 
  40 
  feet 
  or 
  upwards, 
  where, 
  sometimes, 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  

   the 
  coast 
  is 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  the 
  low 
  land 
  cannot 
  be 
  seen. 
  

  

  Sponges 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  deeper 
  localities, 
  but 
  fishing 
  

   there 
  is 
  attended 
  with 
  many 
  difficulties 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  ex- 
  

   cept 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  clear 
  and 
  the 
  weather 
  fine. 
  Consequently, 
  

   when 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  unfavorable 
  for 
  working 
  in 
  the 
  greater 
  depths, 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  resort 
  to 
  the 
  reefs 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  shallow, 
  and 
  

   though 
  their 
  captures 
  may 
  be 
  comparatively 
  small, 
  they 
  thus 
  manage 
  

   to 
  utilize 
  time 
  that 
  otherwise 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  value 
  to 
  them. 
  It 
  is 
  

   obvious 
  that 
  the 
  increased 
  area 
  of 
  fishing 
  ground, 
  which 
  is 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   this 
  venturing 
  into 
  waters 
  so 
  much 
  deeper 
  than 
  those 
  formerly 
  worked, 
  

   is 
  of 
  vital 
  consequence 
  to 
  the 
  industry 
  in 
  question, 
  since 
  the 
  operations 
  

  

  