A government minister says he doesn’t want to prosecute fisherman, after a Port Erin man was found guilty of using illegal lobster pots.
Philip Tasker was fined £2,000 with £50 costs for using crab and lobster pots which didn’t have escape gaps to allow young animals to get out.
DEFA Minister Phil Gawne says the rules are in place to make sure the Island’s fishing industry manages its stocks and remains sustainable.
And he says the laws are there to help rather than hinder those who make their living around the Island’s coasts:
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