VIDEO: New monster of deep discovered

A GIANT lobster that could be 100 years old has been caught by Plymouth fishermen.

Last week, The Herald reported that a 4.25kg (9.5lbs) lobster had been caught by casual fisher Neil Ridley with his fishing line off West Hoe.

But another of the creatures, caught offshore between Bigbury and Hope Cove yesterday afternoon, has weighed in even heavier.

The lobster, which has not yet been graced with a name, weighs a whopping 5.88kg (12.9lbs) and is a hefty 32in (81cm) long.

Fishermen Jack Baker and Mark Tennyson were out with a friend on Jack's boat, Arandora Star, when they made the catch.

Mark said: “He just came up in the net.

“The net was so heavy it actually fell out of the winch.

“I thought to myself, 'this is heavy' and there he was – he just peeked his head out.

“He looked pretty angry when he came up in the net.”

Experienced fisherman Jack has been on the waters for over 35 years, but said he had never come across a lobster so big.

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The 41-year-old said: “I've been out with my father since I was about two years old, but he's definitely the biggest I've seen.

“He's been down there a lot longer than I've been around I think.”

The lobster will be quarantined and taken for health checks before settling into his new home at the National Marine Aquarium.

He will take his place in a special 'tenth anniversary' tank showing people what can be found in our own waters.

Douglas Herdson, information officer at the National Marine Aquarium, said: “To get this big he's got to be a survivor.

“He's definitely over 20, probably over 30 and could be up to 100 years old.

“It is very rare to catch a lobster of this size.”

Mr Herdson added, due to the size of lobster traps, once the creature reaches a certain size, he will not fall foul of fishermen's tactics.

It is notoriously difficult to pinpoint a lobster's age, said Mr Herdson, as they grow at different rates and shed their shells at varying frequencies.

But he said this particular male had not shed his shell for at least two years, as he was littered with well-grown sea worms.

Although he is the largest lobster known to have been caught in the region in recent times, the record has not been broken.

The current record-holder for a lobster of this species was caught in Fowey, Cornwall in 1931.

It measured 1.26m (49.6in) and weighed 9.3kg (20lb 8oz).

The largest lobster ever to have been caught was 'Big George' in 1974.

He weighed in at a staggering 16.78kg (37lbs) after being caught off Cape Cod in the United States.