straits were yesterday refuted by an expert.

"The main body of the Hungry Bay mangrove swamp is in generally excellent condition,'' said Dr. Martin Thomas, a member of the marine research group at the University of New Brunswick. "If (one) hasn't looked there before (one) might get a little bit alarmed. (One) would probably jump to conclusions if comparing Hungry Bay to some mangroves in the southern states and in other areas nearer the equator.'' Dr. Thomas, who has been examining Hungry Bay for the past 15 years, presented his findings after an intern at the Bermuda Biological Station said the 5,000-year-old swamp was in a crisis situation.

After a two-year study, Miss Joanna Ellison, of the University of California at Berkeley, said it was dying because of natural deterioration, human mistreatment and indifference on the part of Government. She added that rising sea levels, caused by global warming and a series of particularly savage storms in the late 1980's, had taken a heavy toll.

Dr. Thomas said while Miss Ellison is an expert in the geological side of the study of mangrove swamps, she had not examined the situation with a biological understanding.

He said, in comparing his study of the swamp with the detailed survey he made in 1980, "Hungry Bay remains the best and most diverse example of this ecosystem in Bermuda and certainly the best example of a northerly mangrove in the Atlantic Ocean.'' And he found: The mangrove trees and other biota formerly observed still present and several species not observed in 1980 present.

A slight recession due to the erosion of its seaward edge. "I could see no evidence of increased erosion within the swamp,'' he said. "The mud surface is stabilised by an algal mat over considerable areas and there has been some infilling of the creek along the SR margin of the swamp.'' Moderate hurricane damage which, "while it may take many months to completely repair the damage, this repair is proceeding normally and in the interim fosters a more diverse mud surface community...It is important to remember that storm damage and repair are a perfectly normal aspect of mangrove swamp ecology and that this fosters maintenance of high diversity.'' The quantity of trash has increased alarmingly, particularly in the northeast corner where it is physically hindering normal ecological processes. He said the best way to deal with the erosion might be "to leave well alone and to allow a new natural balance to become established.

"Curtailing the use of power boats in the bay may ease erosion pressures at the seaward edge and in the creeks. Measures to curtail the dumping of trash in and around the swamp should be instituted and concentrations of trash there now should be carefully removed.'' ALIVE AND WELL -- Hungry Bay, the oldest mangrove swamp in the Atlantic area, is in excellent condition despite earlier reports this year that it is dying.

Dr. Martin Thomas, shown, presented a report on the swamp's excellent condition to Government.