Two American longliners have been licensed to fish off Bermuda -- but not within 75 miles of the coast.

Another United States vessel is also expected to receive a licence soon, Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons announced.

Sen. Simons pointed out the three Alabama-built vessels would target swordfish for sale in the US.

"The terms of their licences do not permit the sale of these fish on the Bermuda market.'' Sen. Simons explained Bermuda would be licensing a "limited number'' of foreign vessels this year in keeping with a mandate laid down in the United Nations Law of the Sea.

They would operate within the outermost 125 miles of Bermuda's exclusive fishing zone.

That meant the vessels could not fish within 75 miles off the Island, explained Sen. Simons.

"To date, we have had applications from both Taiwanese and United States vessels to fish within the zone.

"However, the Taiwanese fishermen, who were interested in catching albacore tuna, have since dropped out because their vessels could not comply with our safety and port inspection requirements.'' One of the vessels given a licence is Eagle Eve , a 68ft 81-ton longliner, built of steel in 1984.

The other longliner is Eagle Eye 11 , a 90ft 148-ton steel-hulled vessel. It was built in 1984.

The third vessel expected to be licensed is Seahawk , a 68ft 91-ton longliner built in 1985.

Sen. Simons said this vessel was currently at sea, but would complete the necessary paperwork when it returned to port in the US.

"All three vessels have the latest in electronic equipment and safety gear, to US Coast Guard specifications.

"They have been fishing off Massachusetts and New York during the summers, and out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the winters.'' Sen. Simons explained the vessels' swordfish catches would be counted as part of the US quota agreed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

"Swordfish will be landed as a fresh, iced product for the US market.'' Among the terms of the licences are that the vessels: make at least one port call for inspection; keep detailed records of catch and effort; take a Bermudian observer abroad if asked; and fish only in the outer 125 miles of our fishing zone.

Sen. Simons said ICCAT had set quotas on two species of fish found in the northern Atlantic -- bluefin tuna and swordfish.

Swordfish quotas had been given only to Spain (6,320 metric tons); the US (3,970 metric tons) and Canada and Portugal (1,500 metric tons each).

Added Sen. Simons: "A small, incidental catch of some 10 metric tons for other countries is also permitted.'' Last year, controversy erupted when Canadian longliner Stephen B was caught illegally fishing tuna and swordfish off Bermuda.

A Halifax court fined the vessel's Canadian sea captain Merle Goreham more than $3,500.