Sheep's Wool Sponge (Hippospongia lachne)

FMM2011.20.173.JPG

Title

Sheep's Wool Sponge (Hippospongia lachne)
FMM2011.20.173

Subject

sponges

Description

Pale gray sponge with tubes protruding from top.

Sponge fishing began in Florida in the mid-19th century. 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. 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 is considered the most important and most marketable species because it is the softest and most durable.

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