The return of controversial fish pots will not be ruled out, Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson said yesterday.

But he warned that any change in the current ban would have to be based on scientific evidence -- and that commercial fishermen would face higher taxes to pay for experts to address the health of fish stocks.

Mr. Hodgson said: "What they are pressing for is to have proper scientific research into the stocks and, if and when the stocks indicate harvesting can go on at a more rapid rate, then we can have fish pots.'' But he added: "One of the main thrusts of what is happening -- and I don't want to foreshadow what will happen -- is I think we are going to have to have higher taxes on the fishing industry so we can develop reliable information and so we don't have to rely on anecdotal evidence.'' He admitted: "I don't think anyone will welcome new taxes, but it's one of these things which have to be faced -- we're going to have to hire scientists to carry out this work and they are going to have to be paid for.'' Mr. Hodgson was speaking as he unveiled a massive Green Paper on the Island's marine environment -- which will act as the basis for a discussion and lead to a White Paper, Government policy, likely to be completed by the end of the year.

Fish pots -- massive cage-like structures laid on the seabed which trap fish which swim into them -- were controversially outlawed in 1990 amid fears over declining numbers of fish.

But Mr. Hodgson said: "It's really not the pots which are causing the problem, it's the fish.'' And he added that -- if proper scientific study showed fish stocks could be sustained -- fish pots could be re-introduced.

Mr. Hodgson said: "It's not so much how we take them out or who takes them out, but whether it's sustainable.'' But he insisted: "We need scientific research, proper records being kept -- once we have got reliable information people trust, it's easier to come to a conclusion as to what sustainable stocks are.'' And he added: "We also have to take each species separately -- it's not a global kind of thing.

"There are some methodologies being developed which should give us reliable information -- some information we get is based on anecdotal evidence which is not always reliable.'' He added: "While we may have problems with our reef fish, there are no problems with tuna and tuna-like species which are caught with long lines, so there is scope for expansion there.

"And fish farming looks to be an area in which we can experiment.'' But Mr. Hodgson admitted that "it was not going to be easy'' on an Island where 25 percent of the workforce is imported to "find Bermudians to into a new branch of industry.'' But he insisted: "Production at that level -- primary production -- is not only critical for our economic development but for our cultural development.

Fishing and farming is vital to the development of our people.'' Mr. Hodgson added that one the main thrusts of the Green Paper was that the entire marine environment had to be considered as a whole made up of interlocking parts -- and that it could not be divorced from the land environment.

He said: "One of the mistakes we made in the past was to think of one aspect of it distinct from other aspects of it.'' And he singled out land-locked cesspits as an example, where research had shown that high concentrations of them affected the chemical make-up of the soil -- which could eventually have repercussions elsewhere.

Mr. Hodgson said there was not yet a serious problem -- but stressed early action had to be taken to prevent trouble occurring in the future.

He added: "Both the ground and the oceans are good ways to dispose of waste -- but we can't overload them.'' And he said: "I think this Green Paper is going to be critically important -- it will form the basis of further discussions, not only at a political level, but at the level of our schools and young people.'' He added: "Bermuda College will be developing courses in marine biology and marine sciences and this will be very important for these studies.'' Earlier, Mr. Hodgson introduced a bill to the House of Assembly designed to clamp down on boats anchoring in sensitive areas, like reefs, which could be damaged by careless skippers.

Mr. Hodgson said: "As it stands at the moment, we want to make it clear that we have the authority to tell people where and how to anchor their boats.

"But at the moment, the relevant Act is a little broad -- we just wanted to make it more clear.

"There are sites where we don't want people to be anchoring -- there are already restrictions and we want to ensure we have the authority to enforce these restrictions.'' Green Paper: Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson displays the massive Green Paper on the Island's marine environment.