swordfish off Bermuda.

Merle Goreham, of Woods Harbour, Shelburne County, has just over two years to pay the fine.

Goreham, captain of Stephen B , pleaded guilty and was sentenced last week in Halifax provincial court.

The longliner Stephen B was boarded on March 30 by Canadian fisheries officers while it was in international waters off Bermuda.

Boat owner Hilton Fisheries of Halifax and its president, Mr. James Redmond, pleaded guilty in June in connection with the incident and were also fined for illegal fishing.

In addition, Mr. Redmond's licence for fishing swordfish was suspended for 30 days.

Stephen B was about 250 miles north of Bermuda when it was boarded by armed fisheries officers, and towed to Halifax.

The boat was among seven others which escaped the shutdown of the Canadian cod fishery by buying licences to fish in Bermuda's 200-mile limit this winter.

However, the Canadian Government objected to this.

It argued tuna and swordfish caught by the boats were taken from Canada's quota as a member of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.

The arrest of Stephen B signalled the end of the Bermuda Government experiment in which several Canadian longliners were licensed to fish off Bermuda.