Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-07-04
Sponge Fishing.

SUI Green OF the IunlSlan sponge hSl-
cry in his report to the Foreign Office,
which has lately beee 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 over
grown with seaweeds. The storms
during November and December de-
stroy and sweep away the thick marine
vegetation and leave the sponges
exposed to view. The fish
cry is divided into two sea-
sons, namely, summer and winter the
former commencing in March and end.
ing in November, and the latter as
noted above. But the collection of
sponges is not very productive in sum-
mer, Us it is confined to the operations
carried ON with diving apparatus,
winch 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 am ng the masses of sea-
weed. The sponges thus collect
ed 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 o smoothed sea are essential for the
success of the fishermen, the winter
season, although lasting three months,
does not generally afford more than
forty-tive working days. The Arab in
habitants of the coast, Greeks, princi-
pally from Kranidi, near NAuplia (Na-
poll 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 skill
full. Sponges are either obtained 10y
spearing with q trident, diving with
or without the assistance of an appara-
tus, and by dredging with q machine
somewhat similar to an oyster dredge.
The Arab fishermen, principally ma
boats called sandals, manned by four
to seven persons, ono of whom is the
harpooner or spearman, while the 9th
ers manage the sails, &c. The spear
man watches for the sponges from the
bows of the sandal, and the boat is
lutfed round on his perceiving one, so
rs. to enable him to strike it. The
depth of the sea in which the Arabs
fish is from IL to IS feet. Although
the Greeks are most expert divers,
the majority of them use the
spear. They employ small and light
boats, just sufficient to carry a spear.
man and an 0arsman. The boat is
rowed gently along, while the spear
man searches the bottom of the sea by
means of tin tube fourteen inches in
diameter, by nineteen inches in length,
at one end of which is placed thick
sheet of glass. This tube is slightly
immersed in the water, and enables the
fisherman to view the bottom undis.
turbed by the oscillations of the sur.
face. The spears used by the Greeks
are shorter than those employed by the
natives and Sicilians, but with wonder.
full adroitness they are enabled to reach
sponges covered by sixty feet OF water.
They hold in their hands from three tc
four spears, and dart them so quickly
aud with such precision, one after the
Their, that before the first has time to
disappear under the surface the second
strikes it's upper extremity, and thus
gives it additional impetus to reach the
sponge aimed at. The Sicilians also
fish with a spear and in small rowing
boats, but do not understand the EN-
ployment of the tube, and have not &C
quired the knack of the Greeks in using
three or four spears; they consequent!
seldom secure an equal quantity o
sponges, although they are always NOR
successful than the Arabs. The pro
duce of the fishery is, it is stated, sus
ceptible of considerable augmentation
by an increase in the number of fisher
men, and new sponge is reproduce
within year wherever one has bee
removed.-PuU AluW Gazette.