Selling tuna in the world market represents "a very real opportunity'' for Bermudian fishermen, Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons said yesterday.

And with the American Base at St. David's closing, fishermen could be landing their catch at Marginal Wharf, a stone's throw from the Airport, Sen. Simons said.

But a local co-operative would help fishermen take advantage of opportunities, he said.

The Minister was commenting on a story in Monday's The Royal Gazette which quoted an American broker as saying Bermudian fishermen could be landing big dollars by supplying fresh tuna to Manhattan eateries. Mr. Arsenault said his company was willing to pay fishermen $2.50 per pound for all the yellowfin tuna they could supply. That was less than the $3 a pound they received locally, but more than he paid in the States, he said.

"We have a resource on our doorstep, namely yellowfin tuna,'' Sen. Simons said. "We have fishermen capable of catching them. But we need to determine how we can market them.'' While local fishermen quickly catch more than enough tuna to meet Bermuda's needs, the world market has "almost unlimited demand,'' he said.

Sen. Simons said his department has been aware of the potential for some time, and he knew of other sales possibilities besides Mr. David Arsenault of Down East Seafood, quoted in The Royal Gazette .

Sen. Simons said he consulted yesterday with the Marine Resources Board and "they point out that it is important for Bermuda to show that we are interested in fishing in our exclusive zone and that we are catching tuna.

"It is possible that in future, quotas for yellowfin tuna will be allocated, which will be based in part on historical catches.'' Presently, Government protects Bermuda's rights to its protected fishing area by licensing a handful of foreign vessels. But the Island benefits little from that, he said.

Sen. Simons said he has been talking to fishermen about establishing a local co-operative almost since he became Minister. His Ministry recently brought Dr. John Haas of Virginia to the Island to discuss co-ops with fishermen and farmers.

Co-ops would help fishermen buy supplies and fuel at cheaper prices and market their catch more effectively, he said.

Independent-minded, some fishermen have difficulty with the concept of a co-op, he said. But fishermen have formed a small steering committee to explore the idea.

The department has also recognised fishermen's need for ice, and is making flake ice available at a site in Prospect. While the site is not ideal to serve fishermen in boats, "that's where Marginal Wharf comes into the picture,'' Sen. Simons said.

"Some months ago I wrote to (Management and Technology Minister the Hon.) Dr.

(Grant) Gibbons and I brought to his attention the needs of fishermen,'' he said. While decisions have not yet been made on the future use of Marginal Wharf at St. David's and another possible landing site at the US Naval Annex in Southampton, "the needs of the fishermen will be kept to the forefront of the Government's mind.'' Also yesterday, the head of the local fishermen's union said Bermuda must look after the local market before selling fish abroad.

Mr. Danny Farias, president of the fisheries division of the Bermuda Industrial Union, was not optimistic about selling tuna to New York restaurants.

"Here we go again on these grand expeditions,'' Mr. Farias said. "We have to look at what we can do for the rest of the world, when we're not looking at our own backyard.'' Mr. Farias pointed to an article that appeared in The Royal Gazette in January of 1972 in which he said Bermuda's fishing industry was in "a pretty sorrowful state.'' Aside from the fishpot ban, little has changed since then, he said.

"All we need is the basics,'' Mr. Farias said. "We need the dock, the landing site, fuel for our vessels, and we need ice.'' But, "there's no facility, there's no ice, there's no connection abroad, there's no homework, there's no forward thinking, there's nothing.'' Sen. Simons said opportunities were there.

"We can't do anything about the past, but we have an opportunity to improve things in the future for fishermen if they will put their heads down and work together,'' he said.