27-pound Lobster Surprise for Maine Fisherman
Robert Maloney got more than he bargained for when he opened a shrimp trap, 27 pounds more, to be exact.
Maloney did not catch a 27-pound shrimp, but a 27-pound lobster. The local fisher works in Maine and was stunned to discover the lobster in a net meant, ironically, to keep lobsters out. "I'm mainly a lobster man, that's why it's kind of neat," Maloney told reporters. "It wouldn't even fit in one of my lobster traps."
After discovering the trapped lobster, Maloney called the Maine State Aquarium. He hoped that the aquarium would be able to help house and care for the lobster. However, biologist Carl Wilson told reporters that the lobster would not be happy at the aquarium. "No matter how good of a home you give them, being in an aquarium or a tank is stressful. I'm not sure we could do right this lobster."
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While the lobster's future is unknown, Wilson noted, "It looks like it's had a pretty good life to date." Many would appreciate having a 27-pound lobster, preferably with a tub of butter, but Maloney is just happy to have seen the crustacean and set him free.
Maine is home to all-things lobster, even hosting an annual Lobster Festival, which has been held every year since 1947. According to the festival's website, "It all began at a gathering of a group of citizens and summer folk in March of 1947, where a discussion arose as to what could be done without reviving the summer activities that Camden had prior to the war years."
Since that time, Camden residents have joined in the festival, which brings in over 200 pounds of fresh lobster caught off Maine's shores. Residents then decide what to do with profits made. Last year a large portion of the funds raised went to repair an activity center for youth.
