illegally fishing off Bermuda.

Mr. Jim Redmond's licence for fishing swordfish was also suspended for 30 days from June 1.

Last night Mr. Redmond told The Royal Gazette from his Halifax home: "I just want to put this behind me.

"It's history and I want to get on with my life, although I still feel I was unjustly treated.'' Mr. Redmond appeared at a court in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on four charges.

He was accused of having no vessel registration, fishing for swordfish and tuna without a licence, having no authorisation to fish, and possessing a dead blue-finned tuna without a tag.

Stephen B skipper Merle Goreham faces a trial next month on identical charges.

At a hearing in April, Goreham and Mr. Redmond pleaded not guilty to the offences.

But Mr. Redmond, president of boat owner Hilton Fisheries Ltd, changed his plea.

On March 30, armed officers from the Canadian Department of Fisheries boarded Stephen B about 250 miles north of Bermuda.

The boat was towed to Halifax, where Mr. Redmond was prevented from boarding.

It was among seven which escaped the shutdown of the Canadian cod fishery by buying licences to fish in Bermuda's 200-mile limit this winter.

The Canadian Government, however, objected to this.

It said tuna and swordfish caught by the boats were taken from Canada's quota as a member of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.

The arrest of Stephen B spelled the end of the Bermuda Government experiment in which the seven Canadian longliners were licensed to fish off Bermuda.

Last night Mr. Redmond explained why he changed his plea.

"I didn't want this case just being procrastinated and procrastinated. I wanted to get it over with.'' He pointed out he could have faced a $100,000 fine and a two month licence suspension.

"That would have been extremely costly to me,'' he said.

Mr. Redmond believed he had been harshly treated because he was the "ringleader'' of the longliners.

"I feel I was unjustly singled out.''