Exhibit 31.1



CERTIFICATIONS



I, Bruce L. Bisson, certify that:



| | 1. | I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Torch Energy Royalty Trust, for which Wilmington Trust Company acts as Trustee;
| | -- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the
circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
| | -- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,
distributable income and changes in trust corpus of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
| | -- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | 4. | I am responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 (e) and 15d-15(e), or for causing such procedures to be
established or maintained, for the registrant and have:
| | -- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under my supervision, to ensure that material information relating
to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to me by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
| | -- | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | b) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report my conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
| | -- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | c) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrants internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrants most recent fiscal quarter (the
registrants fourth quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrants internal control over financial reporting; and
| | -- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | 5. | I have disclosed, based on my most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrants auditors:
| | -- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
registrants ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
| | -- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



| | b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves persons who have a significant role in the registrants internal control over financial reporting.
| | -- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



In giving the certifications in paragraphs 4 and 5 above, I have relied to
the extent I consider reasonable on information provided to me by Torch Energy Advisors Incorporated.



|                     |  |     |  |                         
|-------------------- |  | --- |  | ------------------------
|Date: April 14, 2004 |  | By: |  | /s/ Bruce L. Bisson     
|                     |  |     |  | Bruce L. Bisson         
|                     |  |     |  | Vice President          
|                     |  |     |  | Wilmington Trust Company