is that local waters are now teeming with this delicious delicacy.

"Tuna seem to be here in record numbers this year. It's the best in 20 to 25 years, and the impression is that we're only seeing a very small proportion of the fish which are actually here,'' said Mr. John Barnes, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Parks. "What has brought it here and what they are feeding on is a puzzle, but obviously it is a resource we don't want to waste.'' Probably the most colourful of all the tunas, the yellowfin's blue-black back fades to silver on the lower flanks and belly, and a golden yellow or iridescent blue stripe runs from the eye to the tail. Its fins and finlets are golden yellow, and vertical rows of whitish spots decorate the belly.

Migratory by nature, the yellowfin isn't with us all year, so now's the time to get 'em while they're hot! Throughout the world, the yellowfin, also known as the Allison, is highly esteemed, both as a sport fish and a dining delight. Commercially, it is extremely valuable, with hundreds of thousands of tons being taken annually by longliners and purse seiners around the world.

Although not the largest, the yellowfin is among the world's hardest running fish. Once hooked, it heads for the deep like an express train, and guarantees the angler a long, tough battle before being landed.

Here in Bermuda, commercial fishermen and game fish operators generally welcome the yellowfin's presence, but today they're facing a dilemma. There's such an overwhelming abundance of this pelagic that it is becoming difficult to off-load -- or even freeze-store -- all of their catches.

A problem with the definition of "fresh'' doesn't help. "Refrigeration is very important when catching tuna,'' explained Mrs. Hilda Young. "Hotel and restaurant chefs have gotten very selective, saying `we want it fresh' -- meaning unfrozen -- but if we start taking tuna early in the day we have to put it in our on-board freezers until we get back at the end of the day in order to preserve it.'' "Tuna are very warm blooded fish,'' Mr. Barnes added. "Their body temperature is slightly higher than the water temperature, so it takes the weight of the fish in time to cool it down. If you catch a 45-lb. fish you need 80 lbs. of ice to cool it. When it comes to tuna, you can't be cheap on the ice.'' The problem is not dissimilar at the supermarkets. When they sell fresh local fish they don't want to receive it frozen, thaw it, and then have the consumer possibly re-freeze it again.

In an effort to alleviate these problems and attract more local buyers, Mrs.

Young, who is involved in the commercial fishing industry, says she is now trying a different marketing ploy.

"On the way in from a day's fishing we're removing the bones and head so that the buyer ends up with a nice bag of boneless fish. It makes life a lot simpler.'' Asked why there was no embargo on imported fish to help local suppliers, Mrs.

Young said: "You can't place an embargo on local fish because they're not like vegetables -- where you have them right there in front of you. The fish are moving all the time. Despite the glut, you can't guarantee that they'll sitting there waiting for you to catch them once you put an embargo on.'' But perhaps the biggest hurdle the yellowfin faces is getting past an entrenched local prejudice towards any "dark'' fish -- or what Mr. Barnes calls "the white fish syndrome''.

Uncooked tuna apparently lacks eye appeal for many shoppers because of its dark red appearance. Cooked, however, the flesh turns white like any other fish -- something local diners tend to overlook.

"Bermuda is just the opposite to the rest of the world, where the high end of the market wants dark fish,'' Mr. Barnes noted. "In Japan, the darker and more oily the fish, the more valuable it is and the better it sells. A thousand pounds is worth $50,000! "There, preparation is almost like a religion. Thick volumes are written on it, and they have things like mattresses on the docks to protect the fish from bruising when they're put ashore.'' In any case, tuna's reddish colour can be whitened by sprinkling it with a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar before cooking. It can also be soaked in milk.

Since appearance is only a detail, it is more appropriate to focus on the taste.

As with any comparison between fresh and canned goods, fresh tuna comes out on top -- especially that caught in local waters.

Sure, it takes a little more work than spinning an electric can opener, but the taste experience is well worth the extra effort in preparing the flesh.

And with the barbecue season in full swing, the yellowfin's prevalence couldn't be better.

"Barbecued tuna is superb. To my mind, it's one of the best for barbecuing,'' Mr. Barnes, a keen fisherman and columnist, said.

In fact, the Director pointed out that in the US, barbecued, blackened and broiled tuna were very much sought-after. Restaurants, grills and bars serving it did big business.

"Everywhere I have seen it on the menu, I've been told, `Sorry, we're fresh out of tuna','' Mr. Barnes noted. "It's very popular on the US eastern seaboard.'' Tricks to enhance the flavour include marinating it in a vinaigrette-type salad dressing, such as Italian or Dijon.

As a food, tuna has a lot going for it -- it's low in fat, and an excellent source of protein.

"Tuna has less than one gram of fat per eight-ounce portion,'' Government nutritionist Mrs. Betsy Baillie confirmed. "It is high in protein, which is essential for growth.'' Versatility means it can be used for sushi (where dark tuna is much prized), dips, hors d'oeuvres, casseroles, salads, sandwiches and more.

Of course, one question shoppers cannot resist is: `If there's a glut, why is tuna so expensive?' The answer is that, bought at source, it isn't. Many factors go into making it more expensive in commercial outlets such as supermarkets. For one thing, tuna is a "high waste'' fish with only a small portion of usable meat in every fish.

COME AND GET 'EM! -- Mr. Tim Hayward and Mr. Russell Young with just some of a day's catch of yellowfin tuna. Local waters are currently teeming with this migratory pelagic, which makes excellent eating.