Aristotle even wrote of it around 350 BC. Traditionally, sponge fishing was practiced by Greeks who dove underwater to collect specimens. The practice remained this way until the late 19th century. There was a small increase in sponge fishing at the end of the 19th century due to the invention of a new diving suit, but the suit was not very safe so sponge fishing did not grow much in popularity. Around 1910 to 1930, an underwater breathing device was created and, since then, this method of sponge fishing has continually grown in popularity. Sponges can also be collected after they wash up on beaches or they can be fished from a boat. As "S. officinalis" populations declined due to over-harvest, as discussed below, interest in cultivation increased. Towards the end of the 19th century, the first sponge farming attempts were made in the Mediterranean Sea by fixing sponge fragments onto wooden boxes and setting them into suitable habitats. Although the efforts were successful, sponge farming activity did not increase significantly until the end of the 20th century and currently, it is performed worldwide. Sponge farming not only decreases stress on S. officinalis populations, it also can be used as a sustainable method to reduce marine organic pollution because sponges efficiently remove organic suspended particles from water. For this reason, sponge cultivation in combination with fish farming has been recommended as a method to reduce organic pollution from fish farms. Over-harvesting and sponge disease have led to a decrease in Mediterranean "S. officinalis" populations. People have harvested sponges in the Mediterranean since ancient times. Growing demand has led to over-exploitation of these sponges. Beginning in the 1980s, populations of "S. officinalis" in the Mediterranean have significantly declined. In addition to this, a sponge disease caused by pathogenic bacteria and fungi have further reduced populations. The bacteria and fungi destroy tissues and fibers of the sponges, making them weak. Due to the regenerative abilities of these sponges, they are able to set aside infected tissue and recover. But, when the effects of the disease are compounded by the effects of over-harvesting, populations have struggled to recover and local extinctions have occurred. Baldacconi, R., et al. "Sexual reproduction, larval development and release in Spongia officinalis L.(Porifera, Demospongiae) from the Apulian coast." "Marine Biology" 152.4 (2007): 969-979.