the fish population will grow to previous levels.

These divers have been studying the reefs of Bermuda for years and are among the real experts on fish having seen firsthand the results of the ban.

"In my estimation a million fish will be saved each year, because of the ban,'' said Blue Water Divers Co. owner Mr. John Stephenson, who has been diving here for 22 years.

The ban was designed to save and protect the reef fish population which has been declining since fish pots were first used.

"A lot of species were almost decimated,'' he said. "The porgies, especially the sheep's head variety, are rarely seen anymore. Groupers are another species that were almost wiped out, but smaller ones are now beginning to return.'' Mr. Stephenson said that as a regular diver who is in the water almost every day, he finds it difficult to notice any difference in the number of reef fish, but many tourists have commented on the increase.

The divers have mixed opinions about the results of the ban on the fish population since it started in April 1990.

Some have a noticed a definite increase, while others feel it has only been slight. However, they all agree that banning the fish pots was a necessary action.

According to Mr. Robert Steinhoff, who has been diving around Bermuda for almost 30 years, the whole fish population of the Island has been affected by the fish pots.

"There is still a tremendous scarcity'' he said. "It will be at least a decade before there is any improvement.'' "I clearly support the fish pot ban,'' he added, "I don't think it was done a minute too early.'' The fish population is still "very badly depleted'' compared to when he first began diving, he said.

Mr. Steinhoff noticed that small fish, even though their numbers have decreased slightly, remained largely unaffected by the pots.

And he claims there are still at least 2,500 illegal fishpots around the reefs.

"Reef fish, such as hogfish and snappers, were few and far between before the ban,'' said owner of Fantasea Diving, Mr. Michael Heslop.

Now, he said, the numbers of all reef fish, especially hogfish and snappers, are on the rise.

Even though fish pots have been banned, they continue to pose a problem. Mr.

Heslop said snappers and lobsters were found trapped inside an abandoned fish pot off the north end of the Island recently, but divers broke it open and released the fish.

Reef fish are primarily herbivorous and are not caught by the hook-and-line method of catching fish that Bermuda's fishermen have reverted to since the ban.

Divers who have been exploring the reefs of Bermuda for a number of years are pleased at the increase.

One species of fish that has been successful since the ban is the parrot fish.

Their population has grown rapidly because they breed quickly.

Mr. Michael Bacon, diving instructor at Nautilus Diving Ltd., has been diving in Bermuda for 10 years. He has noticed a definite increase in reef fish since 1990, but said the population is still lower than when he began diving in Bermuda.

A supporter of the ban, he said all kinds of reef fish, including parrot fish, slippery dicks, trunk fish and even moray eels were affected by the fishpots.

"But the juvenile fish (babies) are coming back,'' he added.

He said Nautilus divers have seen a number of fishpots off the South Shore reefs, but he thought they were lost before the ban.

Visiting divers have commented on the low numbers of fish around the reefs and wonder where all the fish have gone, the divers said.

Mr. Roger Collins of the Bermuda Sub-Aqua Club said most of the divers have noticed an increase in grouper while a few have seen no improvement in their population.

The Fisheries Department Catch and Effort Statistics for 1991 corroborates what the divers say.

Before the fishpot ban, more than 150,000 pounds of reef fish were taken from Bermuda's waters annually.

This number dropped to 88,622 last year, a decrease of 37 percent.

And the numbers of parrotfish and hog fish, caught last year decreased by over 90 percent.

The divers caution, however, that although the signs are encouraging, it will be some years before the fish population is fully restored.

BOUNCING BACK -- Divers report some increases in the reef fish population since fish pots, shown being turned in two years ago, were banned.