7 Largest Lobsters Ever Captured

Lobster is one of the most popular foods in the world and each year nearly $300 million worth of lobster is harvested in the United States. Fortunately, there are rules over which lobsters can be kept for food and which ones need to be released. All of the lobsters on this list were much larger than the legal size limit and thankfully were released back into the wild.

7. Larry

Source: Newser

Larry was another large lobster that was saved from being eaten by well-meaning citizens. This lobster from South Florida was 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) and ended up at the Tin Fish restaurant. Tin Fish chain founder and owner Joe Melluso estimated that Larry was about 105 years old and the story was featured in the news.

Amir Rossi saw the story and rounded up his friends to work toward releasing Larry. They paid Melluso $300 for Larry and paid to have Larry shipped back to Maine to be released.

Did You Know?

Larry narrowly escaped death as he was supposed to be eaten by a group of customers. The Tin Fish’s Chef Dennis Alvarez offered the customers a 14 pound (6.35 kilograms) fish instead.

6. Big Dipper Lobster

Source: pressherald.com

In 2015, a photo of a fisherman holding a massive lobster posted to Facebook went viral. The man, Ricky Louis Felice Jr., was working as a deckhand on the Big Dipper, a lobster boat based out of Friendship, Maine. The crew of the Big Dipper said that the lobster was the biggest they had ever seen and estimated that it weighed about 20 pounds (9.07 kilograms).

Since the lobster was much larger than Maine’s legal limit, the crew had to let the lobster go. Felice and the crew said that they hoped to run across the lobster again some day.

Did You Know?

According to the Big Dipper’s captain, Isaac Lash, finding lobsters that exceed the legal size limit is not actually that rare. Lash said, “I’ve seen lobsters as big or bigger than that one.”

5. George

Source: NBC News

George is one of the most famous lobsters on this list because his story was featured in many international news publications. However, George was featured for his age and not his size, which was only about 20 pounds (9.07 kilograms). According to PETA, who helped get George released, and the City Crab and Seafood restaurant, George was believed to be 140 years old; George may have been the oldest lobster ever captured.

George was caught off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada and sold to the City Crab and Seafood restaurant. He lived at the restaurant for 10 days before a customer reported the lobster to PETA, who begged the restaurant to release him. Restaurant manager Keith Valenti said that the restaurant never planned to sell the giant lobster to anyone to eat, but just wanted to drum up some attention.

Did You Know?

George was released in in a rocky cove in Kennebunkport, Maine, less than a mile from the summer home of former President George H.W. Bush.

4. Louie

Source: New York Post

Unlike the other lobsters on this list, Louie the Lobster wasn’t necessarily a lucky find. Instead, Louie had been living in captivity at a restaurant called Peter’s Clam Bar in Hempstead, New York for over 20 years. Over the years, Louie had grown to his last known size of 22 pounds (9.98 kilograms)

Butch Yamali, the owner of Peter’s Clam Bar, decided to release Louie in 2017 after a customer came in on Father’s Day and tried to offer Yamali $1,000 to eat Louie. Yamali decided instead to release Louie and even invited town officials to the ceremony.

Did You Know?

Bob Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute in Maine assured people that Louie would most likely survive in the wild despite being captive for so long because “There aren’t many predators who want to eat a big old lobster like that.”

3. Rocky

Source: Reuters

A lobster nicknamed Rocky was caught off the coast of Maine in 2012 and was described as being the same size as a 3 year old child. Rocky was caught in a shrimping net and brought to the Maine State Aquarium. This child-sized lobster weighed 27 pounds (12.25 kilograms) and was over 40 inches (101.6 centimeters).

According to Elaine Jones, education director for the state’s Department of Marine Resources, most of Rocky’s weight was in his claws, which she said, “would break your arm.” Fortunately for Rocky, he was released back into the wild near the aquarium.

Did You Know?

Rocky was turned over to the aquarium because Maine fishermen are not allowed to keep lobsters that measure more than 5 inches (1.27 cm) from the eye to the start of the tail.

2. Guinness World Record Holder

Source: Guinness World Records (Archived Page)

According to Guinness World Records, the largest lobster caught (officially called the Heaviest Marine Crustacean) was 44 pounds 6 ounces (20.14 kilograms). The lobster was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada in 1977. Like most of the world’s largest lobsters, the Guinness World Record holder was an American/North Atlantic lobster. The Maine Department of Marine Resources estimates that this lobster may have been about 100 years old.

Did You Know?

The American lobster is the heaviest arthropod in the world, which is why there are so many entries on this list!

1. Largest Maine Lobster

Source: http://www.whoi.edu

There isn’t much information about this massive 51.5 pound (23.3 kilograms) lobster that was caught in Maine in 1926. The only evidence that it is the largest lobster ever found comes from a picture from a blog discussing some of the world’s biggest lobsters. From the photo, it does appear that the lobster was quite large. It was reportedly 33 inches (83.82 centimeters) in length and its claws were 50.5 inches (128.27 centimeters).

The lobster was also mounted and may have been on its way to the private museum of a man named Charles Q. Eldridge from Mystic, Connecticut. However, the lobster was damaged in transportation and the picture is the only evidence that this large lobster ever existed.

Did You Know?

Based on the conventional wisdom that a lobster’s size is tied to its age, this lobster may have been over 100 years old.