The Morning herald., 1877-11-05
SPONGE FISHING.

SPONGE FISHING.
From recent account of the Tunisian
sponge fishery, it would seem that to fish
for sponges required 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 destroy and sweep
away the thick marine vegetation and leave
the sponges exposed to view. The fishery
is divided Into two seasons-namely, sum-
mer 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,
and 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 sea-
weed. 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
weather and a smooth 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 inhabitants of
the coast, Greeks, principally from Krandi,
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 are obtained by spearing with
trident, by diving with Or without the as
sistance of an apparatus, or by dredging
with machine somewhat similar to an oys-
ter dredge. The Arab fishermen, princi-
pally natives of Markenah and Jerbah, en-
ploy boats called sandals, manned by from
four to seven persons, one of whom is the
harpooner while the others manage the
sails, &C. The spearman watches for tho
sponges from the bow of the sandal, and
the boat is luffed round on his percciving
one, so as to enable him to strike it. Tho
depth of the sea in which the Arabs fish is
from fifteen to thirty feet Although the
Greeks are most expert divers, the MAORI
ty of them use the spear. They employ
small and light boats, just sufficient to carry
spearman and M oarsman. The boat is
rowed gently along, while tho spearman
searches the bottom of tho sea by means Of
tin tube of fou teen inches in diameter by
nineteen inches in length, at one end of which
is placed thick sheet of glass. The tube
is slightly immersed in tho water, and en-
ablcs the fisherman to view the bottom
undisturbed by the oscillations of the SUI
face.
The spears used by tho Greeks are shorter
than those employed by the natives and
sicilians, but with wonderful adroitness
they are enabled to reach spongos covered
by sixty feet of water. They hold in their
hand from three to 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 the
second strikes its upper extremity, and thus
gives it additional impetus to reach the
sponge aimed at. The Sicilians also fish with
o 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
quantity of sponges, although they are al
ways more successful than the Arabs. The
produce of the fishery is, it is stated sus-
ceptible of considerable augmentation by
an increase in the number of fishermen, and
q new sponge is reproduced within q year
where ever one has been removed.
A rich man in Sutton, Mass, lately de-
....,l 1,oou,o+ho1 to his orphtar ttfo1r