Malayan sponges
Stanley G. Willimott published this technical survey in 1939, assessing the state of sponge-fishing in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States during the late colonial period. The article argues that while Malayan sponges are of inferior quality to Mediterranean and West Indian products, the application of modern cleaning methods and artificial culture could develop a viable minor industry.
Summary
Willimott’s article is a comprehensive technical assessment of the Malayan sponge resource, written from the perspective of the colonial Fisheries Department. It traces the sparse history of sponge research in the region—anchored in the unpublished work of R. Hanitsch at Raffles Museum, Singapore, who studied approximately 90 specimens collected between 1895 and 1905—before turning to the commercial and practical questions that motivated the investigation. The central problem is one of quality and marketability: a trial shipment of 30 unbleached sponges to London in 1935 was rejected as inferior even to the lowest grades of Bahamas and Cuban sponges, which sold at no more than 6d. per pound (p. 122). This failure framed the two strategic imperatives that structure the remainder of the article: improving the quality of the existing crop through modern cleaning techniques, and increasing supply through artificial culture.
The article documents the state of the undeveloped industry in detail. There is no licensing system, no seasonal restriction, and no taxation on the sponge crop; collection is carried out by Malay island fishermen who hand-pick sponges from coral flats at low tide, while sorting, trimming, and marketing in Singapore are handled exclusively by Chinese intermediaries (pp. 122–123). Willimott examines species identification (determined by M. Burton of the British Museum as varieties of Spongia officinalis L.), habitat conditions, and the practical difficulties of collection, including the fact that experienced Malay divers retrieve 12–20 sponges where an inexperienced person finds only one or two (p. 124). He then reports on laboratory tests of two chemical cleaning and bleaching methods—the standard hydrochloric acid/potassium permanganate/oxalic acid sequence and the Alexandria method using sodium thiosulphate and sulphuric acid—finding both produced noticeable improvement in colour and texture, though the Malay material remained inferior to commercial West Indian and Mediterranean sponges in fibre harshness and grittiness (pp. 125–127).
The article closes with a comparative discussion of the Great Barrier Reef sponge situation, drawing parallels between the two regions: no organised industry, several undetermined species, suitability for industrial rather than toilet use, disappointing exploratory results, and the feasibility of artificial culture. Willimott’s experimental culture work at Pulau Sudong, begun in March 1935, demonstrated that sponge cuttings mounted on wired cement triangles grew from one-half to one inch within eight months and continued to grow at six months thereafter, confirming that commercial sponge cultivation was practicable in accessible Malayan waters (p. 128).
Key Findings
- A trial shipment of 30 unbleached Malay sponges sent to London in July 1935 was rejected; the London firm judged them coarser and weaker than the lowest grades of Bahamas and Cuban sponges, which sold at 6d. per pound (p. 122).
- Retail prices in Singapore for cleaned, grit-free, unbleached sponges ranged from 10 cents (small, 4×6 inches) to 30 cents (large, 10×12 inches), with a Straits Dollar equal to 100 cents or 2/4d. (p. 123).
- Proximate analysis revealed that Malayan sponges contained 19.7% ash (mineral matter) compared with only 4.2–7.2% in Mediterranean Honeycomb and Turkey Cup sponges, and 61.0% protein versus 71.3–77.1% in the Mediterranean types, explaining their inferior texture (p. 127).
- Over 1,000 specimens examined by Willimott showed persistent sarcode (“dead meat”) and siliceous matter even after local cleaning; at least one-third exhibited red iron-staining at the point of reef attachment (p. 125).
- The Pulau Sudong culture experiment (March 1935) used 12 cuttings per wired cement triangle placed at approximately 1½ feet depth at low tide; after eight months the cuttings had grown one-half to one inch, and at fourteen months they had nearly closed the 1–1½ inch gaps between them (p. 128).
- Sea temperature in the sponge reef vicinity varied little outside the range 28°–30°C throughout the year (p. 124).
Conclusion
Willimott concludes that sponge-fishing in Malaya is in a very undeveloped condition but possesses the potential to become a minor industry of particular interest to the Malay population. Progress depends on three interlocking conditions: a detailed survey of all sponge-bearing reefs in the Archipelago, the introduction of modern methods of fishing, cleaning, and marketing, and the development of sponge beds through selective artificial culture (p. 130).
Context
- Willimott conducted this work in his capacity associated with the Fisheries Department, Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States, with the investigation framed as a government technical assessment of a potential minor industry rather than a purely academic study.
- The article draws on unpublished data from Raffles Museum, Singapore (Hanitsch’s sponge collection), private communication from M. Burton of the British Museum for species determination, and the author’s own field and laboratory work, including the examination of over 1,000 specimens and the Pulau Sudong culture trials.