Western Atlantic bluefin tuna which are rarely caught by local fishermen.

Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons last month slapped a ban on parrot fish in response to a recommendation by the local Marine Resources Board.

Assailing the ban, outspoken fishermen Mr. Danny Farias this week accused Mr.

Simons of mismanaging Bermuda's fishing industry.

The ban should have applied only to the inshore catching of parrot fish, he said. There was an "abundance'' of parrot fish outside the reef line, he claimed.

Mr. Farias further suggested Sen. Simons take note of an article in this month's National Geographic magazine which says parrot fish, with beaks like a "concrete cutter's saw'' could be destroying reefs and corals rather than protecting them.

Sen. Simons said yesterday that upping the size restriction on bluefin tuna was in response to a World Wildlife Fund warning this week.

A 14-pound weight restriction on catching bluefin tuna already existed for local fishermen, but Government might raise it, he revealed.

But he was quick to point out that records showed only two of the prized sushi-making fish had ever been caught by local fishermen.

The Royal Gazette reported this week that the WWF had warned international demand for bluefin tuna could soon wipe out the species.

Fisheries Director Mr. John Barnes was in Spain attending the conference at which the WWF warning was sounded, Sen. Simons said.

The 22-country International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas began its meeting in Madrid on Monday.

The WWF wanted the Commission to cut the bluefin quota by 50 percent, which would mean a total catch of about 1,300 tons a year. Even more cuts would be needed to allow the stocks to grow though.

Sen. Simons said he would be discussing whether to increase the size restriction on bluefin tuna with Mr. Barnes.

"Bermuda shares the World Wildlife Fund's concerns over bluefin tuna,'' he said. "While Bermuda is not a member of the Commission, it sometimes accepts regulations they recommend for controlling the taking of certain species of fish.'' Sen. Simons added that although Government licenced the deep-ocean fishing vessel Anna C , which went after big-eye and bluefin tuna in local waters, the expedition had not been a Government experiment. The venture ended after Anna C found fewer tuna than expected.

Explaining the parrot fish ban, tabled in the House of Assembly last Friday but put in force on October 1, Sen. Simons said it had been noted that significant amounts of the fish were still being caught by hook and line and spear, accidentally and purposely.

The controversial 1990 fish pot ban had done much to protect the critical reef fish, however, more needed to be done.

The Fisheries Act amendment afforded complete protection to all parrot fish species, inshore and offshore. "You can't catch them at all,'' Sen. Simons said.

Sen. Simons said parrot fish were important because of their role in maintaining Bermuda's reefs.

"They are very important in the continued health of living corals,'' he said.

"Their teeth fuse together to form a beak which they use to scrape algae off the rocks, keeping it from growing over the corals.'' Mr. Farias argued those beaks were in fact ripping out bits of reef and pieces of coral, turning them into sand.

Sen. Simons added, "If parrot fish are being speared it's on purpose.'' Parrot fish had a soft texture and were quite tasty, he said. "In some places parrot fish could be considered a delicacy,'' he said.

Sen. Simons denied further criticism from Mr. Farias that the ban had been put in place without consultation with fishermen.

"The ban was made public when it was first mooted and we invited the public to comment. We received a number of phone calls in support of the ban.'' Sen. Simons said he had met with Mr. Farias and the Bermuda Industrial Union Fisheries Division for one hour and the parrot fish ban was discussed for only ten minutes.

"It was not a major issue on the minds of most of the fishermen -- though Mr.

Farias was very vocal on it,'' he said. "We did not receive an overwhelming number of expressions of concern for the ban, which did not surprise me because fishermen, in their catch statistics, reported that less than a thousand pounds of parrot fish was taken last year -- the average parrot fish weighing 2-3 pounds.''