Mr. Lambe's tale relates not to the size of the ones that got away, but the type of fish he is landing.

Mr. Lambe, 28, one of only a handful of local fishermen involved in longline fishing, said he has been landing hundreds of pounds of swordfish.

"Nobody has ever harvested them the way that I have started to harvest them now,'' said Mr. Lambe, who remains at sea for three to four days, when he must return for more ice.

The problem is "people think they're imported'', he said. "I want to get the word out that there is such a thing as local swordfish.'' Mr. Lambe, who has been working in his 40-foot longliner New Nuts 2 from Robinson's Marina in Somerset, said he has been able to sell some of his catch to the Sonesta Hotel and Mid Ocean Club, but many restaurants refuse to believe his swordfish are caught locally.

On his latest trip, he said he brought in about 400 pounds of swordfish and 500 pounds of yellow fin tuna.

Longline fishing -- which takes place well outside the reef -- involves setting miles of line with hundreds of hooks at various depths. Mr. Craig Trott, who began longlining in January with the 50-foot boat Trilogy , said a $100,000 investment is needed to get started.

In September, Mr. Lambe marked a milestone for Bermuda's fishing industry when he flew 500 pounds of fresh tuna from Bermuda to restaurants in New York.