its first Bermudian visit ended in controversy.

But the head of the local fishermen's union said Ignis Foods should be barred from the country.

Ignis is still interested in Bermuda after a recent longline fishing experiment with the Anna C ended early amid financial squabbles, sources told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

The company is expected to return for another try, possibly in two weeks.

"Their next attempt might be significantly different,'' said a Government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Initially, Ignis hired American Capt. Edwin B. Cross, Jr. and his boat Anna C to fish inside Bermuda's 75-mile territorial waters.

Government granted the special permit to help determine whether a local longline fishing industry was viable.

What was to be a six-month experiment ended early. Catches were smaller than expected, and Ignis and Capt. Cross had a financial falling out. So did the captain and his crew.

"They've learned some things through this exercise,'' the official said.

"Ignis is primarily in the business of buying and selling fish. They are less interested in catching fish.'' "The reason they bring boats into places is that the expertise for catching the type of fish that they want has been somewhat lacking.'' A high-quality product was needed in international markets, particularly for sales to Japan, where fish were "almost a religion''.

Ignis would show locals how to catch, prepare, store, and ship to market the fish they want.

The company had boats of its own, but "I don't know if they would be necessarily sending a boat,'' the official said.

The local market was flooded with yellowfin tuna, and local fishermen could welcome the Ignis involvement, he said.

But Mr. Danny Farias, president of the fishing division of the Bermuda Industrial Union, said Ignis should not be allowed back "to participate in any shape or form.

"We don't want them in our backyard,'' he said. "Why should the foreigner come into our country and exploit us?'' It was true there was plenty of fresh tuna for the local market, but still Government allowed imports, he said.

If Ignis wanted to send local fish to foreign markets, "let the local fishermen export it to Boston, New York, Washington, Baltimore, or Atlanta, and let them buy it over there,'' Mr. Farias said.

"We don't need any advice from any foreigner when it comes to our fisheries.'' UNIONS UNS