Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-07-10
Sponge Fishing.


From the account given by Vice-Con-
sui Green Of the Tunisian sponge fish
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 fish ry 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, 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 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 a smoothed sea are essential for the
! success of the fishermen, the winter
season, although lasting three months,
does not generally afford more than
forty-fve 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 tie
most expert fishermen, while
the Arabs are the least skill
full. Sponges are either obtained by
spearing with trident, diving with
or without the assistance of an appara-
tus, and by dredging with machine
somewhat similar to an oyster dredge.
/ The Arab fishermen, principally ma
tives of Markenah and Jerbah, employ
boats called sandals, manned by four
to seven persons, one of whom is the
harpooner or spearman, while the 9th
ers manage the sails, &c. The spear
man watches Tor the sponges from the
bows of the sandal, and the boat is
lutfed round on his perceiving one, SO
as to enable him to strike it. The
depth of the sea in which the Arabs
fish is from 15 to 35 feet Although
tue Greeks are most expert divers,
the majority of them use the
spear. They employ small and light
boats, just sufficient to carry spear
man and an oarsman The boat is
rowed gently along, while the spear
man searches the bottom of the sea by
means of a tin tube fourteen inches in
diameter, by nineteen inches in length,
at one end of which is placed a thick
sheet of glass. This tube is slightly
immersed in the water, and enables the
fisherman to view the bottom undis-
tubed 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 to
four spears, and dart them so quickly
and with such precision, one after the
ther, that before the first has time to
disappear under the surface the second
strikes its upper extremity, and thus
gives it additional impetus to reach the
sponge aimed at. The Sicilians also
fish with spear and in small rowing
boats, but do not understand the en-
ployment of the tube, and have not ac-
quired the knack OF the Greeks in using
three orfour spears; they consequently
seldom secure an equal quantity OF
sponges, although they are always more
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 a new sponge is reproduced
within a year wherever one has been
removed. Mall Gazette.