Giant lobster hauled in off Maine coast

[unhappycamper]

http://www.wcvb.com/news/giant-lobster-hauled-in-off-maine-coast/34138958



Lobster believed to be 75 years old

Giant lobster hauled in off Maine coast
3:44 PM EDT Jul 13, 2015

FRIENDSHIP, Maine —A fisherman hauled in a giant lobster off the Maine coast.

Ricky Louis Felice Jr. posted a picture of the massive crustacean on Facebook Monday morning.

Felice said the lobster was caught and released from the boat The Big Dipper out of Friendship.

He said the lobster was 3 feet long and believed it is 75 years old.

[procon]

1. He did good in letting that big guy go. nt

[wryter2000]

11. Yup

He'd be too tough to eat, anyway.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Love that he released the creature.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Ditto with other commenters. nt

[secondwind]

4. Very happy he let him go!

[mainer]

5. He had to release it. Maine law requires it.

We have size limits here -- if a lobster is too small or too large, it MUST be released. This is why our lobster industry is so healthy -- the large lobsters are all considered breeders, and are allowed to live wild to a ripe old age and die a natural death. So we maintain our breeding stock into perpetuity.

[exboyfil]

10. Is it good for the lobster to be held in that fashion?

By its front claws.

[bluedigger]

12. These guys handle live lobsters daily for their living.

I think they know what they are doing.

[mainer]

13. Maybe not good for the lobsterman

Those claws can take off your finger.

Lobsters are tough critters -- pull off a claw, and they won't die (unless by another lobster.)

Also, let's not forget they're cannibals. The real reason to band the claws is to keep them from killing each other in the traps.

[nvme]

21. A natural death?

old age or lobster bake is there a difference?

[mainer]

24. One not involving melted butter

is what I meant!

[RR2]

6. Props to a law abiding lobsterman....

The State of Maine has very strict laws governing lobstering. Lobster traps may not be hauled at night and on Sundays during June through August in Maine waters (since 1967). In Maine it is illegal to keep lobsters under and over a certain size. Lobstermen use a special gauge to accurately measure the length of the lobster’s carapace (body)–from the eye socket to the beginning of the tail to ensure legal compliance. The legal minimum length is 3 1/4 inches. Lobsters under this length are call “shorts” or snappers” and must be thrown back into the ocean. Minimum sizes are enforced to make sure that lobsters are mature enough to breed at least once before they are harvested. When a female egg-bearing lobster is found, it is required by Maine law that a v-shaped notch be placed in the right tail flipper before releasing the lobster, in order to protect her so that she may continue to reproduce.

The maximum legal length of a lobster is 5 inches carapace-length; which are called “jumbos”. The maximum size limit is regulated to protect the breeding stock. A minimum size lobster will weigh around 1 pound, while a maximum size lobster will weigh between 3-4 pounds. The most plentiful and most popular size of Maine Lobster is between 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 pounds each.

http://www.lobsteranywhere.com/lobster-101/

[cstanleytech]

8. My mother would have been interested to learn this actually before she died last June as she loved

having lobster on her birthday if we could afford it and she always wanted the biggest one, now i am both smiling and kinda sad at the same time if ya know what i mean.

[Omaha Steve]

7. For the release a K&R!

Should be posted in a larger group or GD.

[jwirr]

9. Glad they released it.

[IHateTheGOP]

14. And he released it! what a great guy!!!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. Could be worse....

[glinda]

16. Glad he released it.

[DirkGently]

17. Excellent.

Glad to hear about the "maximum size" laws in Maine too. Makes sense to let the elders go.

Plus, it's just cooler that way. Anything that's lived that long has earned being left alone by the likes of us.

Megalobster!

[SunSeeker]

18. So glad to read that he was released!

Amazing creature.

[raven mad]

19. Free to freak out the next person diving in the area!

Thank you for turning that copious crustacean loose! Wow, what a lobster! My dad would've swooned!

[nvme]

20. Sorry Folks

But i don't believe in age discrimination. I got a pot of steam and butter and it can handle him nicely. I can sleep at night with my conscience clear if I et' that bad boy!

[sulphurdunn]

23. Imagine your in a tank with this guy and can't get out..

Your hands and feet are banded. His claws aren't.

[mainer]

22. Not even the largest one caught in Maine

There's this fella, 27#: http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news/2012/02/largest-lobster-ever-caught-in-maine-has-claws-that-can-break-your-arm-1.html

And I think one that was north of 40# was caught in Canadian waters. These things live a long time, if you let 'em.

[A Simple Game]

25. Do you know the perfect definition for lobster?

Lobster is an expensive excuse to eat melted butter.

That's it, nothing more to be said.