1976 Press Photo Small fleet of sponge diving boats-Tarpon Springs, Florida

Sponge Diving in Florida--Sponge diving in and around Tarpon Springs, Florida, as often as not is an exhibition for tourists. The use of synthetic sponges has overtaken the use of real sponges, and fishing for sponges no longer is a paying business. What used to be a fleet of more than 200 sponge fishing boats at Tarpon Springs has dwindled to a fleet (upper) of 10 to 20, and sponge fishermen find they can make more money doing something else. Nevertheless, the tradition survives. There is still some demand for natural sponges and the fishermen, many of them of Greek ancestry, carry on their trade to a certain extent--filling in spare time with demonstrations of their work. The sponges they fish for are living marine animals that grow in oddly shaped colonies attached to underwater surfaces. Their light, fibrous and absorbent structures make them a fine fishermen's harvest. Sponges.

Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 01-05-1976.

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