﻿54 
  

  

  Sponges 
  has 
  been 
  extensively 
  in 
  vogue 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  but 
  

   it 
  is 
  now 
  meeting 
  with 
  much 
  discouragement 
  from 
  the 
  

   trade, 
  for 
  while 
  it 
  renders 
  the 
  Sponge 
  much 
  lighter 
  in 
  

   colour, 
  it 
  also 
  partly 
  destroys 
  its 
  fibre, 
  and 
  makes 
  it 
  less 
  

   tough 
  and 
  durable. 
  The 
  Florida 
  Sponges 
  are 
  all 
  shipped 
  

   from 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  Apalachicola 
  to 
  New 
  York. 
  The 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  Sponge 
  fishery 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   averages 
  about 
  $200,000 
  annually. 
  

  

  "The 
  Florida 
  Sponge 
  fishery 
  originated 
  about 
  1852, 
  for 
  y 
  

   although 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  Sponges 
  on 
  the 
  Florida 
  reefs 
  

   was 
  previously 
  made 
  known, 
  the 
  species 
  were 
  not 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  be 
  of 
  commercial 
  value. 
  The 
  industry 
  has 
  gradually 
  

   developed 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  

   years 
  has 
  remained 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  standing. 
  The 
  

   demand 
  for 
  the 
  better 
  grades 
  greatly 
  exceeds 
  the 
  supply. 
  

   Fully 
  75 
  per 
  cent, 
  in 
  value 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  Florida 
  Sponges 
  

   marketed 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  Sheepswool 
  variety." 
  

  

  The 
  Swordfish 
  Fishery. 
  — 
  The 
  Swordfish 
  fishery 
  is 
  carried 
  

   on 
  from 
  New 
  Bedford, 
  New 
  London, 
  and 
  several 
  smaller 
  

   ports 
  of 
  southern 
  New 
  England. 
  About 
  15 
  small 
  vessels 
  

   are 
  employed 
  in 
  summer, 
  and 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  their 
  harpoons, 
  

   together 
  with 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  mackerel 
  vessels, 
  amounts 
  to 
  

   about 
  1,500,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  VII. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  been 
  asked 
  to 
  describe 
  somewhat 
  fully 
  the 
  aims, 
  

   methods 
  and 
  achievements 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Com- 
  

   mission. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  9th 
  of 
  February, 
  1 
  871, 
  Congress 
  passed 
  a 
  joint 
  

   resolution 
  which 
  authorized 
  the 
  appointment 
  of 
  a 
  Com- 
  

   missioner 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Fisheries. 
  The 
  duties 
  of 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   missioner 
  were 
  thus 
  defined 
  : 
  " 
  To 
  prosecute 
  investigations 
  

  

  