weighed in with 11,000 pounds of fish this week.

Three boats involved in the longline fishing experiment off Bermuda delivered their catches which were then flown out to the United States.

And, while organisers are looking for an improvement, they are treating the initial stages of the five-month test as a success.

A total of seven ships sailed down from Canada in January to escape a moratorium placed on fishing off the East Atlantic Coast.

They were given licences to fish in Bermuda's 200 mile exclusion zone as long as they agreed to take on at least two Bermudian crew members per boat.

After initial problems with the computer system on one of the boats they set off for 10 days of fishing.

On Tuesday the 125-foot Atlantic Horizon , the 99-foot Atlantic Optimist and the smaller Renee and Trevor arrived back in St. George's.

Bermudian fisherman Mr. Alan Mayne drew high praise from Capt. Merle Smiley, the skipper of Canadian fishing boat Renee and Trevor .

"Alan worked hard and fit in with the crew real well,'' he said. Capt. John Moore of Meyer Agencies, agent for the Canadians, reported that Atlantic Horizon came in with 2,000 pounds of mixed fish, Atlantic Optimist arrived with 2,300 pounds and Renee and Trevor was carrying 7,000 pounds.

Capt. Moore said: "Basically they brought in swordfish and mixed varieties of tuna.'' The intended market for most of the fish is New England with the tuna aimed for the lucrative Japanese market.

Capt. Moore said: "It's not a bad showing for the first imput. You have to remember that it is altogether different than fishing off Nova Scotia.

"It is going to be trial and error. Most of them went back out almost immediately.'' The big moneymaking bluefin tuna, which has been sold at a record high of $270 for a near perfect specimen, eluded the Renee and Trevor longline. "We got one 250-pound bluefin, but we haven't figured them out yet'', said Captain Smiley.

Coordinator of the seven boat fleet Mr. Jim Redmond was undismayed by the small catches.

"It is still in the experimental stage,'' he said. Mr. Redmond pointed out that selling fish was a dicey business - "a real crap shoot''.

"I'm hoping for about $40 a pound for the bluefin,'' he said. According to Captain Smiley yellowfin average about $15 and swordfish about $6.

The captain said in an average year a average crewman can net $50,000. "It's difficult to predict, there is nothing certain about this game''.

A veteran of 22 years, the captain said he welcomed the warm waters 350 miles southwest of Bermuda.

"The boys went swimming, not me, I can't swim.'' Despite all the technology there is still no sure way of catching bluefin tuna.

"The Japanese have figured it out, but they are not telling'', said Mr.

Redmond.

SHORT STAY -- Atlantic Horizon delivered its catch of 2,000 pounds of swordfish and tuna before setting sail again on Tuesday.