recession.

The Royal Gazette learned yesterday that at least two of the Station's employees were laid off on Wednesday and that more staff reductions are possible.

But Director Dr. Tony Knap also said the situation has not been helped by uncertainty about funding from the United States and the fact the station's ship Weatherbird II is being refitted for four months. Dr. Knap said that he could not give figures for how many of the 80 staff will be laid off.

He said: "There will be one or two places at first but we will be looking over the the next few months at how many people we will be able to employ when the ship goes into dry dock.

"While it is in dry dock the University of North California will send a ship to do our work. Without the ship we will lose visiting scientists who come to the station.

"It will affect the crew and other people involved with the ship and the laboratories. It will not be back until May.'' According to the director, the station receives its funding from the US Government, but there have been recent reports that the grant has been cut even before the loss of the ship for five months.

Dr. Knap said the Station was feeling the effects of the recession in both Bermuda and the US and had to cut costs to break even.

Full- and part-time staff had increased to 80 people from 25 five years ago, he said.

"We are hoping that around the end of 1993 that the growth we have been experiencing will start again and this will only be a short stop.''