and staved off disaster for Bermuda.

It probably prevented the collapse of the fishing and tourism industries, and Bermudians' quality of life.

That is the message from an 18-page article in this month's edition of the United States magazine, `Environment'.

The authors include past president of the Bermuda Biological Station Prof.

James N. Butler, from Harvard University, Massachusetts.

Three Bermuda Government officers also wrote the illustrated piece.

They were Dr. James Burnett-Herkes, the Environment Ministry's permanent secretary; Mr. John Barnes, director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Parks; and Mr. Jack Ward, a fisheries biologist.

Said Dr. Burnett-Herkes: "We really wanted to put Government's fisheries management plan into perspective.

"We wanted a wider readership on our plan, since many of our problems are faced by other countries, such as in the Caribbean.'' The article is called "The Bermuda Fisheries: A Tragedy Of The Commons Averted?''.

And the cover of the magazine -- published ten times a year, and toasting its 35th birthday -- shows a triggerfish, which is said to help attract tourists to Bermuda.

Readers are told many species of fish in Bermuda's reefs were overfished nearly to extinction.

It led to Government's 1990 decision to ban fishing with pots to save the species -- and the tourism industry which depended on them.

`Environment' magazine features Bermuda. From Page 15 The article, which explains the ban, starts: "Two decades of decline in the catch of grouper fish from the Bermuda reefs and a concurrent increase in the catch of herbivorous reef fish, such as parrotfish, led in the 1980s to concern not only that the desirable fish stocks might soon be exhausted but also that the integrity of the reef community was in danger. "The ethical and political issues centred on two conflicting uses of the reef: a 300-year-old cultural heritage of fishing and tourism that depends on a healthy, diverse coral reef community for scuba divers, tour boats, and charter fishing.'' The feature highlights the rise in fish catches from the early 1970s. It states the colourful parrotfish was at the centre of the political conflicts about overfishing. "Parrotfish and other herbivorous fish help control algal growth in the coral reef ecosystem, and their depletion could have serious effects on the health of the reef.'' Fish pots, weighing potentially 100 kilograms and covering four square metres -- could also cause physical damage to the reefs, as they are moved about by waves and storms, it is stated. The article mentions the gradual restrictions on pot fishing, culminating in the ban.

"From the catch and effort statistics, it appeared that, if the government allowed the continued use of even a small number of pots, the industry would have harvested the `very last fish' of some species, such as the Nassau grouper. "There were no other under-utilised reef fish species remaining, and there was concern for the total collapse of the reef fishery and its attendant effect on the complex ecosystem. "Such a collapse would affect not only the future of the fishing industry but also Bermuda's tourism industry, the quality of life for residents, and the very fabric of the islands.'' The article admits the ban caused an outcry among some fishermen, but, it claims, most had now accepted the fact fish pots will no longer be used. And it concludes: "Whatever its long-term effect, it is clear that the fish pot ban was extraordinarily effective in decreasing the catch of grouper and miscellaneous reef fish, which are integral parts of the coral reef ecosystem.'' PHOTO No caption