﻿[33] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  249 
  

  

  years 
  following 
  this 
  attack, 
  entails 
  a 
  loss 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  estimate, 
  

   because 
  partially 
  compensated 
  in 
  the 
  increased 
  price 
  of 
  the 
  article 
  in 
  

   the 
  market 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  consequent 
  scarcity, 
  and 
  because 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  the 
  

   product 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  uncertain 
  quantity; 
  but 
  I 
  hazard 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  

   $100,000 
  would 
  not 
  repair 
  the 
  damage 
  to 
  this 
  business 
  interest 
  alone. 
  

   Had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  fortunate 
  discovery 
  just 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  

   sponge-tracts 
  off 
  Eock 
  Island, 
  northward 
  of 
  the 
  Suwanee 
  River, 
  almost 
  

   a 
  famine 
  in 
  this 
  article 
  would 
  have 
  ensued.' 
  1 
  * 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Silas 
  Stearns, 
  who 
  has 
  had 
  exceptional 
  opportunities 
  for 
  becoming 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  the 
  subject 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Ingersoll 
  refers 
  to, 
  is 
  authority 
  for 
  

   st 
  iting 
  that 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  about 
  Anclote 
  Keys 
  was 
  not 
  to 
  any 
  

   appreciable 
  extent 
  injuriously 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  poisonous 
  water. 
  He 
  was 
  

   there 
  in 
  1S78, 
  1879, 
  and 
  1880; 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  employed 
  as 
  an 
  expert 
  

   by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Government 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Western 
  

   Florida 
  and 
  collect 
  statistics 
  of 
  them 
  for 
  the 
  Tenth 
  Census. 
  On 
  one 
  

   occasion 
  he 
  took 
  a 
  boat 
  load 
  of 
  sponges 
  himself 
  near 
  Anclote, 
  in 
  2 
  fath- 
  

   oms 
  of 
  water, 
  a 
  feat 
  that 
  pretty 
  effectually 
  settled 
  the 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  

   whether 
  the 
  sponges 
  were 
  all 
  destroyed 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  grounds 
  off 
  Eock 
  Island, 
  

   which 
  Mr. 
  Ingersoll 
  says 
  occurred 
  "just 
  at 
  that 
  time," 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  tells 
  

   me 
  that 
  this 
  region 
  had 
  been 
  known 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  date 
  alluded 
  to. 
  

   He 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  probability 
  of 
  any 
  new 
  discov- 
  

   eries 
  being 
  made 
  of 
  this 
  kind, 
  since 
  almost 
  every 
  foot 
  of 
  ground 
  that 
  

   might 
  by 
  any 
  possibility 
  bear 
  sponges 
  has 
  been 
  carefully 
  worked 
  over. 
  

   He 
  says 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  himself 
  dragged 
  a 
  boat-dredge 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  

   length 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  south 
  of 
  Pensacola, 
  and 
  no 
  results 
  were 
  obtained 
  

   except 
  on 
  grounds 
  well 
  known. 
  

  

  Sponge 
  culture 
  has 
  of 
  late 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  those 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  fisheries, 
  since 
  the 
  almost 
  exhausted 
  state 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  old 
  grounds 
  from 
  over 
  fishing 
  and 
  natural 
  causes 
  renders 
  it 
  desira- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  aid 
  nature, 
  if 
  possible, 
  in 
  increasing 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  sponges. 
  The 
  

   success 
  which 
  has 
  attended 
  attempts 
  at 
  raising 
  sponges 
  from 
  clippings 
  

   in 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  gave 
  reason 
  to 
  hope 
  for 
  equally 
  good 
  results 
  here; 
  

   and 
  the 
  experiments 
  already 
  made 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  

   sponges 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  remunerative 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Florida. 
  The 
  pro- 
  

   cess 
  of 
  sponge 
  culture, 
  as 
  detailed 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  parties 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  is 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  simple. 
  A 
  sponge 
  is 
  hooked 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  brought 
  

   to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  but 
  is 
  never 
  lifted 
  into 
  the 
  air. 
  It 
  is 
  then 
  

   clipped 
  into 
  small 
  pieces 
  and 
  fastened 
  on 
  a 
  wire 
  or 
  stick, 
  which 
  is 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  fixed 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  firmly 
  as 
  practicable. 
  For 
  the 
  first 
  four 
  

   months 
  the 
  "clippings" 
  do 
  not 
  show 
  any 
  increase 
  in 
  size 
  (it 
  taking 
  

   them 
  this 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  recover 
  from 
  the 
  injury 
  done 
  by 
  cutting), 
  but 
  

   later 
  they 
  develop 
  with 
  considerable 
  rapidity. 
  

  

  While 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  unquestionable 
  advantages 
  may 
  be 
  gained 
  

   by 
  introducing 
  sponge 
  culture 
  in 
  Florida, 
  it 
  is 
  nevertheless 
  a 
  subject 
  

  

  * 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Vol. 
  4, 
  1881, 
  page 
  75. 
  

  

  