The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-03-13
NEW SPONGE FISHERY
Coast Of Honduras Will Add to the
Worlds Supply

Where do all the sponses come
/ from? From the sen, OF course, but
yeiy few people Know Just how cr
/ were they are gathered anu that
( their habitat is restricted TO very
( few profitable fishing districts. Like
i oysters, sponges don't travel about
/ OF tneir own accord and they must
he caught where they grow. As the
demand constantly increases and he
| older fishing areas are being depleted
newly discovered grounds are Of
great importance and are eagerly
sought.
A news item in the current number
OF the Monthly Bulletin OF the Pan
American Union, Washington. d. c..
states that recently a shipment OF
5000 sponges Of ine grade arrived
at Mobile, Alabama. from the coast
of Honduras. The fact that this
coast has extensive sponge.nshing
possibilities had been either practi-
cally unknown or ignored until a
Greek sponge-fsher from the Medi-
s terranean Sea happened along during
the latter part Of last year. With
about three weeks fishing he gather
ed enough for the shipment alluded
to, and now Honduras Is going TO add
J another product to its other numer-
{ Gus Industries.
Sponge-fshing is a rather unique
hA q fr,cr Is
not much Of a misnomer. Most of
/ them are still caught with hooks not
/ outstanding the fact that the i'm
provement in diving apparatus has
made their gathering easier. They
thrive only in the salt water of the
sea, and the best known districts are
, in the Mediterranean Sea, the CARR
bean Sea. the Gulf of Mexico, and wa
ters contiguous to these Those Of
: the Mediterranean are the oldest and
/ produce about half in value, though
not in quantity, of the worlds supply
To persons who know sponges only
as they appear ready for sale and use
/ the animal as it comes from the sea
would be unreognizabe. II is sol
i'd looking, rather Shiny. fleshy body.
varying in color from light-greyish
yellow through a range of browns to
black, and i'm form either cup-shaped.
spheroidal. or cake shaped. according
to the species, its age, or the environ
ment in which it grew. In general,
in appearance and consistency and
the manner in which it cuts with a
knife. all living shepswool sponge is
not unlike a piece of beef liver. per
forated with holes and canals The
sponge Of the markets is merely the
gelatinous tissues OF the living ami
NAL.
Concerning the life histories OF
commercial sponges. but little is
known. In some species. at least. the
sexes are separate. the females great
" preponderating. and the young are
produced mainly if not solely from
eggs. The young are, for a time.
minute free-swimming organisms
which may be carried considerable
distances by the currents before they
az last settle down Tor permanent
attachment. usually on natural rocky
bars near the coast
The old method Of gathering the
sponge was to wade into the shallow
waters and pull up the growth BY
hand. Later the sponge hook. a two
or three tined short hook attached tc
\ long pole. was introduced. and deer
or water could be fshed. The fisher
man in his boat closely scanned the
bottom OF the water for spcnEes. tea
ing them loose and depositing then
In the boat by means OF this hook. 70
overcome the difficulty Of seeing ths
bottom because Of the ripples on n,
surface q the water the -spongi
glass. OF water telescope was IN