Marine conservationists have voiced concern that illegal traps could be jeopardising fish numbers that have shown tentative increases among some species since fishpots were banned five years ago.

Comments by Fisheries Division and Bermuda Biological Station experts came on the heels of news that three more illegal traps were found during an extensive search of the Argus Bank area by Agricultural and Fisheries inspectors. A fourth was found by a local fisherman.

The search was launched after the same fisherman discovered three pots in the area earlier in the week.

Director of Agriculture and Fisheries Mr. John Barnes said the latest find confirmed Government suspicions that illegal fish traps have been set in large numbers around the Island.

"Breaching of the law is rife,'' he said yesterday.

He added that Government is trying to crack down as hard as it can but efforts have been hampered by unfavourable weather conditions and a late summer.

The fish trapped in pots found last week were "winded'' and released, Mr.

Barnes said. "Quite a few'' fish were recovered but none of the larger fish the ban aimed to protect had been caught.

"It is rather indicative of how bad things are,'' he said.

But Senior Fisheries Officer Dr. Brian Luckhurst painted a brighter picture.

He said the results of a four-year survey since the ban had proved encouraging.

Parrot fish numbers, badly depleted by fishpotting in the 1980s and a good indicator of fish abundance, had begun to swell.

But, he said, illegal fishing was detrimental to the overall comeback of Bermuda's fish populations.

"It shouldn't be happening,'' he said. "We are concerned about any level of illegal fish potting.'' Dr. Luckhurst emphasised the difficulty in policing illegal fishing. The Department lacked the staff and boats to find the pots spread over a large area and marked with very small buoys.

"The assistance of the public is vital to the task,'' he said. "Otherwise the activity keeps going on and jeopardises some of the gains we've made.'' Dr. Robbie Smith, assistant research scientist at the Bermuda Biological Station claimed fish trapping on a large scale could be hampering recovery.

But, he said, there was no evidence to show trapping was widespread, nor that it was having an impact on fish populations.

However he pointed out that fish trapping was still against the law. "It should be stopped,'' he said.

This summer Dr. Smith will conduct a survey and pool data on fish numbers collected in the 1980s with Dr. Luckhurst to pinpoint to what degree populations have recovered and in which species. It will create a first real insight into how far the fishpot ban has been effective in bringing back Bermuda's fish since the ban was imposed in March 1990.

The Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto, who imposed the ban as Environment Minister, claimed she was not surprised by the preponderance of illegal pots.

"It is terribly difficult to police,'' she said.

She advised the public to keep a look out for traps and commended fishermen like Capt. Card who reported them.

"Other fishermen know this is going on and they're not reporting them,'' she said. "I call them cowards.''