Captain Watson urged the people of Bermuda not to adopt long line fishing, describing it "one of the most destructive fishing techniques ever".

Government is currently compiling a report into its feasibility, but Captain Watson said: "There's now more than 100,000 miles of long lines in the oceans. We've pulled hundreds of miles of lines out of the oceans and what we've found is dead birds, the incidental catch is just mind-boggling."

He added that trawlers using such techniques also destroyed the coral reefs under the ocean surface.

And Captain Watson had high praise for Bermuda's David Wingate, whom he compared to conservationists such as US zoologist Dian Fossey, famous for her work with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

Celebrating Dr. Wingate's efforts in saving the Cahow from extinction, Captain Watson told the BUEI audience: "I can't think of a greater legacy than to stop a species from disappearing. That is something David can be very proud of."