How much would you pay to save a lobster?
$160 is the amount Chris Crowell and his wife Jyll Prole paid to purchase a lobster from a Halifax grocery store. Why so much? The lobster, now named Rex, weighed in at 7kg (15.4 lbs). The couple donated Rex to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography where Jim Frost, laboratory manager, estimates Rex is 60 years old based on his size. Although large, Rex will not be the largest on record. The top 3 largest lobsters,
Homarus americanus, by weight on record are.
- 'Mike' caught in 1934 19.25kg (42.44 lbs)
- an unconfirmed, unnamed female at 11.34kg (25lbs)
- 'Bubba' caught in 2005 off Nantucket 9.98kg (22lbs), housed at New England Aquarium in 1985
- 'Mimi' caught in 1990 7.94kg (17.50lbs)
Craig is temporarily a post-doctoral fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute who is looking for a permanent position. He spends most of his time balancing his overwhelming geekdom with normalcy so he can function in the real world. Luckily his wife likes his geekiness.
Peter Etnoyer is a Graduate Research Associate at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He studies deep corals and ocean fronts, and he loves to be on the water.
Kevin Zelnio is a Graduate Student Researcher at Penn State studying the ecology of hydrothermal vent and methane seep communities. He raises awareness of the plight of the spineless through folk music.
Life Science
Comments
I will try hard not to voice my opinion about this Haligonian couple and limit myself to a comment about the photo you use to illustrate this post. It is the wrong lobster! A more zoologically correct photo would be of the World's Largest Lobster monument in Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada (not far from Halifax). A photo (link above) is available at one of my favorite sites, www.roadsideattractions.ca, offering an unforgettable journey through the Canada we all love.
Posted by: Emmanuel M | October 18, 2007 11:06 AM
I don't imagine a 60 year old lobster would taste good so why not buy him out of a store tank and send him off to BIO?
Posted by: Nico | October 18, 2007 1:02 PM