Speech #840198974

I yesterday introduced H. R. 12022. being a bill for providing relief for the spongefishing industry by making special nonquota immigrant visas available to certain skilled alien spongedivers. At Tarpon Springs on the west coast of Florida is located the only spongefishing community and industry in the United States. This community was established in 1905 when the Greeks brought to Tarpon Springs the first sponge boat equipped for sponge diving with a completely Greek crew. Prior to that date sponge fishing was entirely dependent upon "sponge hooking" or fishing from the surface with various size poles to bring the sponges from the bottom.