Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-08-17

SPONGE FISHING.

SP0NGE FISHING.
From the account given by Vice Con-
sui 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 spongcs 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 sea.
sons the places where the spongcs exist
are overgrown with seawceds. The storms
during November and December destroy
and sweep away the thick marine vegeta-
tiou and leave the spouges 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 collected by the Arabs
are also Of an inferior quality, owing to
the small depth of water in which they
have grown. As, nevertheless, calm wealth.
er and q smooth sea are essential for the
success of the fishermen, the winter sea-
son, although lasting three months, does
not generally afford more than forty-6ve
working days. The Arab inhabitants of
the coast Greeks principally from Krani-
di, near Nauplia, (Napoli de Roumania),
and Sicilians, are chiefly employed in the
sponge fishery, the Greeks, however, be-
ing the most expert fishermen, while the
Arabs are the least skilful. Spougcs,
says the Pail Mall Gazette, are obtained
by spearirg with trident, by diving with
or without the assistance of an apparatus,
or by dredging with machine somewhat
similar to an oyster dredge. The Arab
fishermen, principally natives of MaIke-
nah aud 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 sportsman watches for the sponges
from the bows of the sandal, and the boat
is luffed round on his percciving one, so
as to enable him to strike it. The depth
of the sea in which the Arabs fish is from
fifteen feet to thirty FIVE feet. Although
the Greeks arc most expert divers, the
majority of them use the spear. They
employ small and light boats, just sufi-
cient to carry sportsman and an oars
man. The boat is rowed gently along,
while the sportsman searches the bottom
of the sea by means Of tin tube of four
teen inches in diameter by nineteen inches
in length, at one end of which is placed a
thick sheet of glass This tuhe is lightly
immersed in the water, aud enables the
fisherman to view the bottom undisturbed
by the oscillations of the surface. The
spear used by the Greeks are shorter than
those used by the natives and Siciliaus,
but with wonderful adroi.ness they are
enabled to reach spongcs covered by sixty
feet of water. The hold in their hand
three or four spears, and dart them SO
quickly and with such precision, one after
the other, that before the first has time to
disappear under the surface of the water,
the second strikes its upper extremity, and
thus gives it additional impetus to reach
the sponge aimed at. The Sicilaus, also,
fish with spear and in small rowing boats,
but do not understand the employment of
the tube, and have not acquired the knack
of the Greeks in using three or four
spears they consequently seldom secure
an equal number of sponges, although they
are always more successful than the Arabs.
The produce of the fishery is, it is stated,
susceptible of considerable augmentation
by an increase in the number fishermen,
and new sponge is reproduced within q
year wherever one has been removed.
"THE OLD WoMAN."-It was thus a
few days since, VIC heard STRIPPING Of