Sponge literature is expanding

The book Sünger, Biz, Başkaları ve Bodrum, written by Saner Gülsöken and published by Bodrum Maritime Museum Publications, reveals how a sea creature plays a central role in the lives of different countries and cultures, the economic value it creates, and the extraordinary lives of spongers.

While waiting for his turn to div, ehis eyes darted over the horizon. Had it been four months or more since he had left the harbor, since he had set foot on land, since he had seen his children and his wife with his baby in her belly? As he felt a pang of grief, he shook off the longing in his head. Air bubbles began to appear on the dock of Tirhandil. Mehmet must have finished sponge fishing and was getting ready to go up; it was time to get into action. He sat on the railing, watching and assisting the monthly men to put on his suit. He gently slipped into the jumpsuit from the head; they powdered his ankles and wrists; with a little difficulty, they put his wrists in place, the heavy shoes with lead soles were put on, and the straps tightened. When he was one step closer to the dive, he walked to the ladder where he would go down to the sea and sat down on the first step. The boys put the breastplate strap over his head, and carefully placed it in its place in the suit, put the strap on it, and tightened the nuts with great care. He observed closely while this, the most crucial component of the dress, was placed on because even the smallest error may have disastrous consequences. They put the hood with the glass windows on all four sides over his head and fixed it by turning it, and then, they put on the chest weights while checking that no air was coming into the hood. Once he had the guide rope in his hand, he was ready to dive. He let the suit fill with air, inflated it a little, and jumped into the sea. After adjusting his balance on the surface for a short time, he slowly began to descend to the bottom by releasing the air inside the suit in a controlled manner. He had entered the door of a completely different world, and the first to greet him was the baby fish circling around him with their silvery glow. As it flew down, free of its burdens, it plunged into the middle of a shoal, and the shoal was surprised by this giant from a foreign world and scattered in all directions, but quickly recovered and continued its movements in unison. As he descended deeper, the colors disappeared one by one, and when he skirted a giant block of rock and reached the bottom, there was only navy blue; in front, behind, above, all around was navy blue…”

Sponges, which have the oldest history in the living world after algae, are the simplest group of multicellular animals. Sponges, which have no mobility, have to be stabilized in order to survive. They have no tissues, organs, or skeletal systems. These functions are performed by spicules (needle-shaped structures made of silica and limestone) or spongin (collagen) fibers. More than five thousand different kinds of sponges can be found in both fresh and marine seas, and they can survive at any depth, from tropical waters to the poles.

Sea sponges have become an important and sought-after consumer item that has been used in dozens of different fields over the centuries; they have been used especially in the cleaning works of the rich, in the brushes of painters, in the ink mistakes of writers, and in the production of potions, ointments, and medicines due to their antibacterial properties. In addition to all these, its economic value has always been quite high due to its rarity. In the 20th century, with progress in ecological research, another use of sponges emerged: combating pollution in the marine ecosystem. The ability of sponges to filter water allows them to fight pollution in organic ways and provide additional income. In fact, the pollution caused by fish farming activities in floating net cages, especially in the seas, can be significantly reduced by sponges placed around the cages.

As a sponge is a marine animal, the process of capturing it is called hunting. While it is not known exactly how and when sponge fishing started, it has a history dating back centuries, probably beginning with the collection of pieces of sponge that broke Since the sponge is a marine animal, the process of capturing it is called hunting. 28 off and washed up on the shore. Sponge fishing and trade have been of interest for centuries. Since pieces were first retrieved from the shore, sponge hunting has evolved through several stages as technology and understanding of underwater diving have advanced. Gülsöken’s research presents all this information, as well as slices of lives connected to the sponge, in a framework ranging from hunting techniques to mythology, from literature to cinema.

Sponge, an important 19th century export of the Ottoman Empire, was also a source of income for individuals and families living in certain settlements along the coasts of the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean, engaged in sponge fishing and trade. The migration of Greeks engaged in sponge fishing during the population exchange that took place immediately after the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye disrupted this profession. Sponge fishing was then revived by Turks who came to Türkiye and settled in the same areas. In the early 20th century, the sector, which the state saw as an industry that needed to be supported and encouraged, almost completely disappeared in the last quarter century.

Sponge fishing was, in general, a seasonal business. Spongers would go out to sea at the beginning of spring, fish throughout the spring and summer months, and return to land and their homes towards the beginning or mid-autumn, just before the weather deteriorated and the storm season arrived. This fishing region occasionally stretched all the way to the African shore. Time, money, trust, health, and lives could be lost as a result of errors and omissions.

A disease that swept over the Mediterranean in the ensuing years largely destroyed sponge beds at depths of up to 35–40 meters, which were thought to be economically exploitable by spongers. So the Greek spongers left their home waters for Italy and Tunisia. However, the disease gradually spread throughout the Mediterranean.

Tarpon Springs, which is dubbed the “Greek Capital of the USA” because of its twenty-five thousand second- and third- generation Greek residents, still resembles a museum city with its harbor filled with diving spongers and sponge boats, despite the fact that sponge fishing has significantly decreased over time.

The book’s extensive coverage of historical fishing equipment and traditional boats used for sponge fishing is one of its primary strengths. In this way, the terminology of a vanishing culture is also preserved.