Abstract:
This article discusses the origins of the Florida sponge fishery from 1852 to the introduction of helmet diving in 1905. The article provides an overview of the sponge industry, the biology of sponges, and details about sponge fisheries in Florida such as fishing grounds, seasons, methods, working conditions, sales, and factors affecting the trade. The article discusses issues such as overfishing, legislation enacted to protect the sponge industry, and the introduction of Mediterranean helmet diving at Tarpon Springs in 1905, which allowed sponge divers to seek sponges in deeper waters. The article also comments on the decline of the sponge industry from other factors such as the 'sponge blight' of 1939 and the beginning of artificial sponges in the 1950s.
Description:
6 p., PDF. Includes diagrams, sketches, and photographs. For related items, see BBL series 1A.6a, "laboratory research, sponges."
