its policies during Friday night's motion to adjourn in the House of Assembly.

The former Bermuda Industrial Union president said one-third of the newly-sunken Chinese freighter, the Xing Da , was resting on the coral reef.

But concern over coral damage was one reason Government gave for banning fish pots, said Mr. Simmons, who noted that the presence of the Xing Da on the seabed would attract fish but the area had been made a no fishing zone.

The Xing Da was sunk on Thursday despite the attempts of a dozen commercial fishing boats who picketed Marginal Wharf in a bid to stop the freighter going to sea.

Some fishermen also tried to cut the tow line between the freighter and the Government tug Powerful .

BIU president Derrick Burgess said the union and fishermen were not against the sinking of the Xing Da but were against the site chosen which could harm reefs and affect migrating fish, as well as flying fish and lobster.

About 30 percent of the boat is sitting on the reef and a full survey of any damage to the coral has not yet been carried out.

Mr. Simmons produced a letter dated May 6 which was sent to the Environment Ministry's acting permanent secretary Brian Rawlinson from BIU divisional organiser Wanda Bluefort.

Mr. Simmons said the letter warned that the area where the Xing Da was due to be sunk did not have a sand hole large enough to support the ship and foretold that the vessel would eventually rest on the coral reef.

And he pointed the finger of blame at Environment Minister Irving Pearman.

"The Minister saw it fit to do what he wanted to do.'' Mr. Simmons noted the ship -- a gift of "literal junk'' from the US -- would create an artificial reef for Scuba divers but asked: "Who are the divers?'' The fishermen were born Bermudians who had every right to the Island's natural resources.

"Are these divers all born Bermudians that have a right to dive on this ship,'' he asked.

"Bermuda is a small Island with precious few natural resources. One of its most abundant is its waters,'' continued Mr. Simmons.

"What we are seeing is a continuous restraint on our people by the department. Our people are being held back from exploring the resources.'' And Mr. Simmons warned that the incident would continue the difficulty felt between Government and the fishermen.

"The fishermen feel they are being denied their constitutional right to be consulted on matters involving their stock and trade.

"I appeal to Government that they must start respecting the fishermen as an organised body in the same they respect other bodies.'' Mr. Pearman told Parliamentarians that he did not hear from the fishermen until the eleventh hour and asked where the Progressive Labour Party were throughout the incident.

He added that confusion at the site of the sinking had caused the Xing Da to come to rest slightly off mark.