The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-06
FROM WATER FRONT
: FISH HAWK IN PORT FOR
REPAIRS.
HER MISSION TO FLORIDA
AID EXPERIMENTS IN SPONGE
CULTIVATION.

80. This Industry Has Failed to
snnnIy the Demand for sponges
ha government Is Experimenting
90 Find a Mechanical Means of
cu1,jvation NOrthward Bound
co.I SehOomers s. $. LustIeigh
niscbarging.
The L. S. S. Fish Hawk is at Rourke's
,ock TO be hauled out to-day for gen
vol repairs preparatory for her fall
.ort in Florida waters. The steamer
in command of Capt. James A Smith,
I'D besides her five other officers, she
ice a crew of forty-two men. She is
,iract from Beaufort, N. c., where she
nos been engaged for some time in
.,yArnment work in connection with
The Fish Commission, to which she is
attached.
The present mission of the Fish Hawk
N Florida waters is an interesting one
N the entire country, and particu-
,or,v to Florida, which will be the di-
roof beneficiary of whatever results fol-
low the experiments which are now be-
ing made. The sponge industry of
Florida has been on the decline for
several years, and since the attention
If the government was recently called
n the fact experts have been there
for the purpose of finding a, way, if
nossible, of replenishing the supply.
Last year an expert worked there sue
cessfully using the Fish Hawk and
her crew in the coast work necessary
in making the experiments. Now that
the season has again opened, the ex-
merit will resume his work, and the
steamer is going down to take her
Mace. Last year the experiments were
conducted on the west coast of Florida,
IN the vicinity of Tampa Bay. This
year it is proposed to work along the
east coast.
Capt. Smith has made a special study
of the sponge industry and it's cult
vation, and the store of information he
has from his observation and expert
ments is highly interesting. He states
that owing to the increased CONNER
cal demand for sponges the supply
is scarcely equal to the demand, and
for this reason efforts are being made
at mechanical cultivation. Nearly all
the sponges used in this country come
from Florida, with the exception of
the finer ones used for medical pur-
poses. which come from Mediterranean
waters. Sponge fishermen pursue their
work the same as those who go for
their catches with bait, except the for
mer use hooks without bait attached
to long poles with which the sponges
are caught and brought up. BY means
of artificial lights sponge fishermen
now work in waters fifty feet deep. Eff
forts have been made to enable them
to fish in deeper water by means of
submarine lights, but to the present
this method has not proved a success.
If it should, it is estimated the supply
would be increased, and the problem
the government is now graphing with
largely solved.
Since the voluntary production is on
the decline the government will try
the next best plan. The sponges will
be planted by stringing small pieces
as seed a short distance apart on wire,
and this wire lowered into the water
and left until the sponges grow to COM
mercial size. Whether this is to be
success remains to be seen, as the re-
suits will not be known until the plant
ings last fall are examined. This
seems to be the only feasible plan for
artificial sponge production, however,
and present prospects are said to be
favorable for it's success. Floridians
are particularly interested in the ex-
pertinent, as the demand for sponges
has grown to an extent that promises
to make this among the states great
est industries if the supply is not cur
tailed.
The Fish Hawk is interesting also for
the part she takes in SupDlVing streams
with fish, which are Matched aboard
the steamer with apparatus for this
purpose. Last season she worked in
the Delaware, supplying that stream
with shad. The vessel is always kept
busy in distributing fish, surveying and
other work in connection with the Fish
Commission.