Lobster is one of the most popular foods in the world and every year almost $300 million worth of lobster is harvested in the United States
Fortunately, there are rules about which lobsters can be kept for eating and which must be released
All of the lobsters on this list are larger than the legal size limit and have thankfully been released back into the wild
Location: South Florida
Source: Newser
Larry is another large lobster saved from being eaten by well-meaning citizens
This lobster from South Florida was 15 pounds (68 kilograms) and ended up at Tin Fish restaurant
The founder and owner of the Tin Fish chain, Joe Melluso, estimated that Larry was about 105 years old and the story was featured in the news
Amir Rossi saw the story and gathered his friends to work to free Larry
They paid Melluso $300 for Larry and were paid to bring Larry back to Maine for release
Larry narrowly escaped death as a group of customers would have eaten him
Tin Fish Chef Dennis Alvarez offered customers 14 pounds (635 kilos) of fish
Big Dipper Lobster
Location: Maine
Source: pressheraldcom
In 2015, a photo of a fisherman holding a large lobster posted on Facebook went viral
The man, Ricky Louis Felice Jr, worked as a deckhand on the Big Dipper, a lobster boat based in Friendship, Maine
The Big Dipper crew said the lobster was the largest they had ever seen and estimated it weighed about 20 pounds (907 kilograms)
Because the lobster was larger than Maine’s legal limit, the crew had to release the lobster
Felice and the crew said they hope to run into the lobster again someday
According to the captain of the Big Dipper, Isaac Lash, finding lobsters that exceed the legal size limit is not that unusual
Lash said, “I’ve seen lobsters as big or bigger than that “
Location: caught in Newfoundland, Canada; ended up in a restaurant in New York City
Source: NBC News
George is one of the most famous lobsters on this list as his story has been featured in many international news publications
However, George is shown for his age and not his size, which is about 20 pounds (907 kilograms)
According to PETA, who helped free George, and the City Crab and Seafood restaurant, George is believed to be 140 years old; George may be the oldest lobster ever caught
George was caught off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada and sold to the City Crab and Seafood restaurant
He lived in 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 the restaurant never planned to sell the giant lobster to anyone to eat, but just wanted to get some attention
George was released in a rocky cove in Kennebunkport, Maine, less than a mile from the summer home of former President George HW Bush
Location: Hempstead, New York, USA
Source: New York Post
Unlike the other lobsters on this list, Louie the Lobster doesn’t have to be a lucky find
Instead, Louie lived in captivity at a restaurant called Peter’s Clam Bar in Hempstead, New York for over 20 years
Over the years, Louie grew to his last known size of 22 pounds (998 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
However, Yamali decided to release Louie and even invited the town officials to the ceremony
Bob Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute in Maine assured people that Louie would probably survive in the wild for a long time in captivity because “There aren’t many predators that want to eat a big old lobster” like that “
Location: near Cushing, Maine, USA
Source: Reuters
A lobster nicknamed Rocky was caught off the coast of Maine in 2012 and was described as being the size of a 3-year-old child
Rocky was caught in a shrimping net and taken to the Maine State Aquarium
This baby-sized lobster weighed 27 pounds (1225 kilograms) and was over 40 inches (1016 centimeters)
According to Elaine Jones, director of education for the state Department of Marine Resources, most of Rocky’s weight is on his claws, which he said, “could break your arm” Fortunately for Rocky, he was released back into the forest near the aquarium
Rocky was turned over to the aquarium because Maine fishermen are not allowed to keep lobsters that measure more than 5 inches (127 cm) from the eye to the beginning of the tail
Guinness World Record Holder
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
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 (2014 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 is an American/North Atlantic lobster
The Maine Department of Marine Resources estimates that this lobster is probably about 100 years old
The American lobster is the heaviest arthropod in the world, so there are many entries on this list!
Largest Maine Lobster
Location: Maine, USA
Source: http://wwwwhoiedu
Not much is known about this massive 515 pound (233 kilogram) lobster caught in Maine in 1926
The only evidence that this is the largest lobster ever found comes from a photo from a blog that discusses some of the largest lobsters in the world
From the photo, it can be seen that the lobster is very large
However, the lobster was damaged in transport and the picture is the only evidence that this large lobster ever existed
Based on the conventional wisdom that a lobster’s size is tied to its age, this lobster is probably over 100 years old