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Florida Maritime Museum

Captain Banks Chronicles: Diving

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“In T.S. [Tarpon Springs] 2030h July 22 Fri Dove 6 days. Took 3 days to clean + get sponges ready for auction. Sponge under 5, $50 fine.”—Log book, July 15, 1988

Sponge harvesting has been part of Florida’s fishing heritage since the industry began in the mid-1800s. In addition to fishing, Banks gathered sponges using diving equipment. He sold them at auction in Tarpon Springs, where sellers were fined for having sponges under five inches. Banks mentioned that cleaning sponges takes a while; he didn’t mention that it also is very messy.

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Most sponges were harvested in the Florida Keys until the discovery of commercial sponges in the northern Gulf of Mexico towards the end of the century 19th century. The industry took off in the early 1900s, particularly in Tarpon Springs, now known as the “Sponge Capital of the World”.
There are different methods of harvesting sponges; one involves using a long pole with hook to tear a sponge free from the ocean floor. In another method, divers go underwater and cut the sponges free. When a sponge is harvested, if sufficient sponge tissue remains left behind, the sponge can regenerate. This is more successful for cut sponges, which have a 71% survival rate, than for hooked sponges, where the survival rate is 41%.
Five species of sponges are harvested commercially. The sheep's wool sponge, pictured, is considered the most important and most marketable species because it is the softest and most durable.