 On 17 May 2008 , the BBC reported that the tenants had put the remaining 40 years of their lease up for sale , with an asking price of £ 15 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 . Within four days , there were over 50 potential buyers , which led to fears from residents that the island 's identity would be lost if it was bought by the wrong owner . In September 2008 it was announced that Starboard Settlement , a trust , had acquired the remainder of the lease for considerably less than the asking price . The trust formed a company based in Guernsey , Herm Island Ltd , to manage the island for the trustees . 
