Undersized lobsters seized from Price Chopper

State environmental conservation officers inspect lobsters seized from Price Chopper.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has seized more than $7,000 worth of lobsters from Price Chopper because they were undersized and violated standards created to protect the wild population.

The department announced Thursday that it had seized more than 1,100 pounds of undersized lobsters from Price Chopper in three different inspections over the last four months, the bulk of them earlier this week. The case was sparked in March when department officers found undersized lobsters at stores in Binghamton. Price Chopper faces fines for violations of laws that dictate the minimum size of lobsters.

The distribution center, located in Schenectady, was inspected Tuesday. Officers determined that 820 lobsters, or about 15 percent of the inventory on-site, were under the legal size limit. At least 105 undersized lobsters have been seized at other stores, bringing the total value to more than $7,000, the DEC said.

Mona Golub, vice president of public relations and consumer services for the Golub Corporation, which owns the Price Chopper supermarkets, said the faulty lobsters came from a supplier in Cape Cod. The supermarket chain has already changed suppliers, she said.

“They violated our specification requirements and we intend to hold them responsible,” she said.

Price Chopper’s website indicates the company has “Seafood Smart” professionals who inspect their suppliers’ facilities to ensure they meet safety, quality and sanitation standards.

Price Chopper sells lobster by the pound. Golub said the size discrepancy amounted to the lobsters falling about three or four millimeters short of New York state standards in most cases.

She said consumers enjoy lobster, particularly in the summer, and Price Chopper doesn’t expect the seizure to have any affect on product availability. The Cape Cod supplier was responsible for measuring the lobsters before they were sent to Price Chopper, Mona Golub said, calling the large number of undersized lobsters a breakdown in the trade partnership and the company’s measuring process.

Size restrictions were placed on lobsters to protect them after decades of overfishing. Allowing lobsters to grow helps bolster the population, according to the DEC.

State law requires lobsters that are taken, possessed, bought, sold, imported and exported in New York be between 3.375 inches and 5.25 inches from the eye socket to the end of the body shell.

Price Chopper faces fines of up to $100 for each undersized lobster, according to the DEC, which said it would attempt to negotiate a settlement with the business in the coming weeks.

The seized lobsters were donated Wednesday to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, located in Latham, according to the DEC.