A seafood processing company has been fined £6,000 for possessing undersized lobsters.

Island Shellfish Processing Limited was represented in court by director Timothy Croft, who had previously admitted the offence on the company’s behalf.

Prosecuting advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge told the court that a routine inspection by officers from the Department of Food and Agriculture took place at Island Shellfish’s premises, at The Quay in Port St Mary, on February 6.

A storage tank was found to contain 51 lobsters, out of 190 measured, which were under the 90 millimetre legal limit specified in the Manx fishing regulations.

Four were measured at 86 millimetres, 16 at 87 millimetres, 20 at 88 millimetres, and 11 at 89 millimetres.

The lobsters were still alive and have been returned to the sea.

Defence advocate Stephen Wood said this was not a standard case, where a fisherman or a skipper was before the court after a vessel had been boarded.

He said that Island Shellfish took catches from very few boats, and lobsters were left day and night in the vicinity of the factory door, then taken into the plant, weighed, and put in tanks.

Mr Wood said that the company had been a victim of Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis, with a fall in demand for lobsters.

He said staff had been laid off and there had simply not been the resources to check catches at the door.

The advocate said the size issue would have been picked up by the company and reported, but the inspection had taken place before they’d had a chance to do it.

Mr Wood went on to say that the company was now gearing up towards liquidation.

The company agreed to pay the fine, plus prosecution costs of £50, at a rate of £750 per month.