St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-07-27
FISHING FOR SPONGES
One of Florida's Most Valuable
Industries.
Where Sponges Grow and How They are
Secured = Preparing Them for
Market - Dlard<hips of
Sp0nxe-fisher's Life.


Florida is most advantageOusly sit.
uated for sea fisheries. and from the
earliest settlement the coast fisheries
have been more or less important.
About twO-thirds of the boundary il
washed by the waters of the Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico, and. as is usual in
countries of this latitude. the warm
seas are most favorable for the growth
of marine life. In addition to this,
Florida has a great number of bays,
lagoOns and bayous. and the coast is
hemmed in by reefs and bare and
broad shoals, all of which are excellent
resorts for many forms of fish.
The sponge fishery is confined to the
southwestern part Of the coast along
the reefs, and to the extensive rocky
shoals that lie between St. Marks and
Anclote Keys. Accurately speaking.
the sponge reef begins a few miles east
of Appalachicola, and hugs the coast
10 within fifty miles OF Cedar Keys.
a
miles. after which it reappears and
runs south without interruption to hey
West and the Bahama Islands. This
reef rocky ridge. sometimes of gen.
uine limestone. but generally of coral.
begins some six or eight miles from
shore, and continues out indefinitely.
Wherever there is Il rocky bottom
sponges are said 10 be found. and the
only reason why the fisheries do not
extend completely around the gulf
coast is that in places. as on the coast
of Texas or Cedar Keys, this rocky
bottom begins in water too deep to
permit of profitable sponging. The
average depth of water on the St.
Marks reef at six miles from land is
sixteen feet The sponges are in great
abundance and OF good quality.
being much better than those from the
coast OF Mexico. but rather inferior to
the Bahama variety. The supply is
practically incxhaustible. as they grow
almost as fast rs gathered. q sponge
requiring only about two years to reach
maturity.
Nearly all Of the sponces used in the
United States were brought from the
Mediterranean until 1852, when atten-
tion was called 10 the immense num-
bers that were growing in Florida wa
ters. As soon rs it was found that the
quality of these compared favorably
with thos, of Europe the merchants
and fittcrs-Out of vessels of Key West
engaged very actively in the business
of placing them on the market. At
first the best qualities were bought
from the fishermen at the rate of ten
cents per pound. As Mediterranean
sponges became scarce and costly the
Florida spOnges came into more and
more demand, and their value in
creased prOrOrtionately. After about
eighteen years fishing upon the
known ground the supply began
to fail. Then, in 1870. a new area of
ground. larger than the old one, was
discovered. and this gave a new i'm
petus TO the trade. In that year Ap-
palachicola sent out a small feet of
sponge vessels which has since been
largely increased. During the past
eighteen years the business has been
cnergetically pursued with good re-
suits.
The methods employed in the fishery
differ greatly from those employed in
the Mediterranean. where divers 20
down and bring up the sponges. Small
vessels. carrying crews Of from five to
fifteen men. are fitted out at Key West
and AppalachicOla. for trips OF from
four to eight weeks on the sponge
grounds. The crews are paired on into
small rowboa,s. or ''dingies," to catch
the sponges. One man stands in the
stern. sculling the boat. whilc the
other kneels in the bottom amidships,
with the upper half of his body lean
ing over the side. and scans the bot
tom OF the sea. 10 aid the eye an in
strument called a water glass. which
is a common water bucket whose
wooden bottom has been replaced
by one of glass. 10 used by
setting it in the water and
thrusting the face as far into it
as convenient When a sponge is
sighted the boat is stopped. and the
kneellnC man uses a two-pronged
hook. attached to a slender pole thirty
or forty feet in length. to secure it
Considerable dextcrity is required of
both men. To cure the spongcs they
are frs: spread about the vessels deck
in their natural upright position. 80
that they will die. and while decom-
posing allow the gelatinous matter
to run oh freely. When they have
been several days iu this they are
taken 10 the shore and thrown into