Giant lobster avoids becoming lunch and finds home on Coney Island
Barry Paddock, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A freakishly large lobster destined for the pot has instead found a new home in - where else? - Coney Island.
The colossal crustacean went on exhibit this week at the New York Aquarium, thanks to a seafood company worker who decided it was too big for dinner.
The lobster was caught weeks ago off the coast of Canada and sent in a 2-ton shipment to the New England Lobster Co. in San Francisco.
The firm's bookkeeper, Jennifer Vargas, set out to save its life when it weighed in at 18 pounds and was estimated to be 75 years old.
"This seemed like a [lousy] way to go," Vargas said. "A lot of the customers were interested in him - the problem was they didn't have a pot big enough."
Her boss said she could find him a home, and the New York Aquarium, run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, responded to an online posting.
Visitors have been amazed. "Look at the claws on him. It's like something out of a science fiction movie," said Patrick Moffa, 52, of Astoria, Queens.
Aquarium Director Jon Dohlin said the still-growing lobster is a crowd-pleaser.
"He radiates a certain charisma," he said proudly, "a crustacean charisma."
