Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Aug.  1, 1872.  J 
Sponge  Fishing. 
369 
opium  poppy  can  be  successfully  raised  in  this  district  if  a  plentiful 
supply  of  water  be  available  when  necessary. — Pharm.  Journ.  (Lon- 
don,) June  22,  1872. 
SPONGE  FISHING. 
From  the  account  given  by  Vice-Consul  Green,  of  the  Tunisian 
sponge  fishery  in  his  report  to  the  Foreign  Office,  which  has  lately 
been  issued,  it  would  seem  that  to  fish  for  sponges  requires  as  much 
if  not  more  skill  than  to  fish  for  salmon.  The  sponge  fishery  is  most 
actively  carried  on  during  the  three  months  of  December,  January ? 
and  February,  for  at  other  seasons  the  places  where  the  sponges  exist 
are  overgrown  with  seaweeds.  The  storms  during  November  and 
December  destroy  and  sweep  away  the  thick  marine  vegetation  and 
leave  the  sponges  exposed  to  view.  The  fishery  is  divided  into  two 
seasons,  namely,  summer  and  winter ;  the  former  commencing  in 
March  and  ending  in  November,  and  the  latter  as  noted  above.  But 
the  collection  of  sponges  is  not  very  productive  in  summer,  as  it  is 
confined  to  the  operations  carried  on  with  diving  apparatus,  which 
can  only  be  used  on  rocky  and  firm  bottomed  places,  or  to  the  success 
of  native  fishermen,  who  wade  along  the  shores  and  feel  for  sponges 
with  their  feet  among  the  masses  of  seaweed.  The  sponges  thus  col- 
lected by  the  Arabs  are  also  of  an  inferior  quality,  owing  to  the  small 
depth  of  water  in  which  they  have  grown.  As,  nevertheless,  calm 
weather  and  a  smooth  sea  are  essential  for  the  success  of  the  fisher- 
men, the  winter  season,  although  lasting  three  months,  does  not  gene- 
rally afford  more  than  forty-five  working  days.  The  Arab  inhabit- 
ants of  the  coast,  Greeks,  principally  from  Kranidi,  near  Nauplia 
(Napoli  de  Roumania),  and  Sicilians,  are  chiefly  employed  in  the 
sponge  fishery,  the  Greeks,  however,  being  the  most  expert  fishermen, 
while  the  Arabs  are  the  least  skillful.  Sponges,  says  the  "  Pall  Mall 
Gazette,"  are  obtained  by  spearing  with  a  trident,  by  diving  with  or 
without  the  assistance  of  an  apparatus,  or  by  dredging  with  a  machine 
somewhat  similar  to  an  oyster  dredge.  The  Arab  fishermen,  princi- 
pally natives  of  Markenah  and  Jerbah,  employ  boats  called  sandals, 
manned  by  from  four  to  seven  persons,  one  of  whom  is  the  harpooner, 
while  the  others  manage  the  sails,  etc.  The  spearman  watches  for 
the  sponges  from  the  bows  of  the  sandal,  and  the  boat  is  luffed  round 
upon  his  perceiving  one,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  strike  it.    The  depth 
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