Bermuda's fishermen could be landing big money by providing high-quality tuna to Manhattan restaurants, says an American broker.

But they need a place to land and clean the fish and put it on ice, Mr. David Arsenault of Down East Seafood in New York told The Royal Gazette . Mr.

Arsenault said he would guarantee Bermuda's fishermen a price of $2.50 per pound for all the yellow fin tuna they can catch.

While that is less than the $3 per pound local fishermen are accustomed to getting for tuna, it is "more than I pay for tuna in the States,'' Mr.

Arsenault said.

And the price would be guaranteed all season, he said. Since more tuna would be caught, "it's a good quarter of a million dollars that nobody is making now,'' from purchases by his company alone, he said.

"I don't think people realise how much money is being lost every year,'' he said. "It would just be nice to see the fishermen and the Government come together on this landing facility.'' "As a fish broker, I can't take a chance of putting all my money out on the street on a product that's not properly taken care of.'' Mr. Arsenault said he has drafted a letter to Environment Minister the Hon.

Gerald Simons, seeking his support in getting a landing facility approved.

Buying many types of fish around the world, Mr. Arsenault said he and his partners supply 60 restaurants in the Manhattan area, which in turn could help to promote the Island. "They would love to put on their menus: `Fresh Bermudian tuna'.'' Mr. Arsenault, 37, is known to local fishermen as the disgruntled first mate on the American longliner Anna C , which fished Bermuda waters as part of a Government-sponsored experiment in 1993.

The experiment ended amid lower-than-hoped-for catches and recriminations, with Mr. Arsenault accusing Anna C skipper Capt. Edwin B. Cross Jr. of trying to sell fish he caught on the Bermuda market against Government orders.

"When I saw Junior marketing the fish, I felt that what he was doing to the local fishermen was wrong,'' he said. The experiment did prove "there are plenty of tuna in these waters'', and Bermudian fishermen are able to catch them, whether with longlines or more conventional hook and line methods.

Bermuda's tuna would be of a high quality, and fresh enough to eat as sushi, he said. That was because Bermudian fishermen returned to the Island each night, while fishing boats based elsewhere remain at sea for two weeks or longer.

A place to land the fish was needed, he said, adding that Marginal Wharf at the soon-to-close US Naval Air Station would be ideal, as would a landing area at the US Naval Annex in Southampton. Both sites had refrigeration facilities.

Flake ice was needed, along with refrigeration, and a sheltered place to package.

American co-operative specialist Dr. John Haas has been on the Island talking with fishermen and farmers. Mr. Arsenault felt a co-op approach would benefit local fishermen.

MR. DAVID ARSENAULT -- Supplies fresh tuna to Manhattan restaurants.