1997 -- yet just two fishermen were prosecuted for the offence.

The claim was made by watersports enthusiast Joan Ward.

And Ms Ward has called for tougher penalties to stop illegal fishing in Bermuda's waters.

The charter operator said although Bermuda's marine resources may look healthy, the reefs are not "teeming'' with life.

And she blamed illegal fishpots and a lack of resources -- Bermuda only has four fisheries wardens -- for the gradual destruction of marine life.

Ms Ward was responding to the Green Paper on Marine Resources and the Fishing Industry which aims to bring together all sectors concerned with Bermuda's waters.

"As a community bounded on all sides by the sea, we are relatively unfamiliar with our marine environment,'' she said.

"Our limited knowledge results in a failure to sufficiently protect and conserve this resource.'' Ms Ward added that, with numerous other problems, the sea is not a top national priority. And she warned that, although banned since 1990, fishpots were still a big problem. The watersports operators division of the Chamber of Commerce -- consisting of 40 watersports operators -- estimate that about 500 illegal pots are in operation today.

"Fishpots are recognised worldwide as the most destructive and efficient `killing machines' in the sea,'' Ms Ward said.

"They are not selective in their harvest and if lost or damaged, continue to attract and kill fish forever.'' She noted that about 10 percent of the world's reefs have been degraded beyond recovery and another 30 percent will have been destroyed within the next two decades. Changes to an ecosystem, including the removal of fish, can have devastating effects on all marine life.

She said as we approach the Millennium, thought needs to be given to not the next ten years, but the next 200 years.

"Bermuda needs a long term, national vision that enforces its policy of `protection' versus `exploitation','' she said.

Ms Ward said all watersports operators work closely with the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo to protect, conserve and learn about the effective management of marine resources. The ongoing Biodiversity Project was launched to take inventory of Bermuda's native species.

And she said protecting the environment is also in the Island's best economic interests.

Ms Ward noted that thousands of visitors come to Bermuda each year, drawn by the turquoise waters and coral reefs, and that a living reef contributes more to an economy than harvesting.

"At its peak, Bermuda's fishing industry may have generated from $2 million to $3 million a year,'' she said.

"Recreational tourism may generate six times that amount with an estimated $18 million in revenues being generated annually.

"Bermuda needs to be as vigilant in protecting its offshore environment as it is about its inshore waters.'' FISHERMEN FHP