How old is George the lobster? According to the New York Daily News, NY: “George the Giant Lobster – 20 pounds and an estimated 80 years old – found himself liberated from City Crab’s lobster tank, saved by the intervention of animal rights activists.” However, other news organizations such as MSNBC and the Telegraph.co.uk are reporting that George is 140 years old. I guess a lobster that’s 140 years of age makes for a better story than one that’s only 80 years old.
Personally, I’m not sure why anyone wants to eat such an old lobster, because according to the fishermen I use to work with, smaller, younger, and of course legal American lobsters taste better than larger and older lobsters. Furthermore, I’m not sure whether this claim is true: “[R]estaurant manager Keith Valenti was quoted in the Reuters report as saying that each pound equals 7-10 years in age.” I’ve seen very large lobsters while observing fisheries in the Northeast, and I’m fairly sure that I’ve seen some larger than 20 pounds. Nonetheless, it’s a story with a happy ending, but I hope George the lobster can survive in his new home. From the Associated Press:
A huge lobster that was destined to adorn a dinner plate is back in the ocean after a New York City restaurant granted him a reprieve.
The 20-pound crustacean, named George, was returned to the wild Saturday in a rocky cove in Kennebunkport, less than a mile from the summer home of former President George H.W. Bush.
George was transported to Maine by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which had beseeched City Crab and Seafood to allow the lobster to go free.
The activist group says the giant lobster may be up to 140 years old, although conventional standards for guessing a lobster’s age put it closer to 80.
On the Net: ANIMAL WELFARE: Giant lobster that sparked bidding war saved from pot
It had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada, and lived in the restaurant’s tank for about 10 days.
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lol, saved my ass. i’m sure a larger predator saw him as soon as they dumped him in the waters and went bananas over its luck to stumble upon such a large lobster. George would have had a nice quiet life as the restaurants mascot, dying in piece inside a tank rather then being eaten alive in the wild.
Yeah, well considering he lived over 100 years in the wild, I’m sure he fancied his chances!
“Furthermore, I’m not sure whether this claim is true: “[R]estaurant manager Keith Valenti was quoted in the Reuters report as saying that each pound equals 7-10 years in age.” I’ve seen very large lobsters while observing fisheries in the Northeast, and I’m fairly sure that I’ve seen some larger than 20 pounds.”
I’m not sure how that describes reasoning which invalidates Valenti’s estimate.
In fact, it does nothing to say anything either way about his estimating methods whatsoever.
If what you say about your experience observing fisheries is true, and Keith Valenti’s expertise is in fact adequate for the estimates he attempted, then all said here simply implies that there are many supercentarian lobsters in the area, and after a cursory image search via google, I would guess, apparently, the world.
Basically, if a ten pound lobster is at least 80 years old and possibly more, it sounds like we are looking at the existence of at least hundreds of supercentarian crustaceans in existence at any given time. Screw eating that! That’s just too marvelous to interfere with.
WIkipedia:
[lobster] Longevity
Recent research suggests that lobsters may not slow down, weaken, or lose fertility with age. In fact, older lobsters are more fertile than younger lobsters. This longevity may be due to telomerase, an enzyme that repairs DNA sequences of the form “TTAGGG”.[9] This sequence is often referred to as the telomeres of the DNA.[10][11] It has been argued that lobsters may exhibit negligible senescence and some scientists have claimed that they could effectively live indefinitely, barring injury, disease, capture, etc.[12] Their longevity allows them to reach impressive sizes. According to the Guinness World Records, the largest lobster was caught in Nova Scotia, Canada, and weighed 20.15 kilograms (44.4 lb).[13][14]
O_O