THE SPONGE FISHERY. 821 



are being constantly discovered and the yield has not varied greatly from year to year. Still, 

 there is strong foundation in fact for the belief expressed by many, that the present indiscrimi- 

 nate fishing will, sooner or later, result unfavorably for the Florida coast at least, and several of 

 the New York buyers have expressed a desire for immediate legislation prohibiting the taking 

 of the better qualities of sponges under a certain size, that size to be equivalent to a weight of 

 about li ounces. In this manner the younger growths would be protected, and the future sup- 

 plies of large specimens would be more or less insured. This subject is one which merits prompt 

 attention and it derives an additional interest from the recent successful attempts at artificial 

 sponge culture about Key West. 



Sponges have hitherto been bought and sold in large quantities entirely by weight, but some 

 of the New York dealers advocate their sale by count, in order to circumvent certain fraudulent 

 practices which are now largely indulged in, such as sanding and liming, and also because of their 

 well known absorptive qualities causing them to weigh much more in moist climates than in dry. 

 This new method of buying and selling has already been started to a slight extent. 



At the fishing ports, of which Key West is the principal one in Florida, the sponges brought 

 in by the vessels are, after drying, graded by the agent, each grade being packed separately in 

 bales or cases, and are then ready for shipment to market. New York is the only distributing 

 center for Florida sponges, and receives nearly all the foreign sponges imported into this country. 



Sponges are used for a great variety of domestic aud professional purposes, the most of which 

 are familiar to every one. The clippings and small specimens are frequently employed for stuffing 

 mattresses, cushions, &c., and also for packing, and in the manufacture of certain coarse kinds of 

 cloth. In upholstery work its chief defect is its tendency to absorb moisture in wet weather, as 

 previously noted. 



There is au import duty on all grades of foreign sponges of 20 per cent, ad valorem. The 

 wholesale prices of Mediterranean sponges in this country range from 50 cents to $50 per pound ; 

 of Bahama sponges, from 10 cents to $1.60 per pound ; aud of Florida sponges, from 15 cents to 

 $2.25 per pound. The lower grades of Florida sponges range in price mainly from 35 to 50 cents 

 per pound ; aud the better grades, or sheepswool sponges, from $1.25 to $2.25 per pound. 



(6) THE FLORIDA SPONGE FISHERY.* 

 2. THE SPONGE GEOUNDS. 



The Florida sponge-grounds form three separate and elongate stretches along the southern 

 aud western coasts of the State. The first includes nearly all of the Florida reefs ; 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 Florida reef-grounds have a linear extent of about 120 miles, 

 beginning near Key Biscayne in the northeast, and ending in the south, at northwest channel, 

 just west of Key West. The northwestern half of the grounds is very narrow, having an 

 average width of only about 5 miles and being limited to the outer side of the reefs. At about 

 the Matacumbe Eeefs, the grounds broaden out so as to cover the entire width of the reefs, 

 which are much broader here than at the north. The entire southern half of the grounds 



* The account of the Florida sponge fishery including the sponge grounds, the sponging vessels, and the methods 

 of conducting the fishery has been furnished mostly by Mr. Silas Stearns, of Pensacola, who made a special study of 

 the subject, in 1879 aud 1880, in the interest of the U. S. Fish Commission, and a large part of his report is copied 

 verbatim. 



