Forrest Galante, a Santa Barbara resident and biologist, was free diving Anacapa Island off the Californian coast when he stumbled upon a giant 70-year-old Pacific Spiny Lobster. This nearly-12-pound-crustacian is shocking, to say the least, but Forrest’s subsequent action was as equally admirable as his incredible discovery.
Although the lobster could have provided weeks of delicious tacos to the entire neighborhood, Forrest decided to spare “Albert Girther” and release him back into the wild – but not after Albert spent a short vacation at Forrest’s sea center in Santa Barbara: Forrest is a biologist, after all.
What is particularly fascinating about this find is that lobsters of this size were quite common several decades ago, but due to extensive fishing practices, lobsters weighing more than 3 pounds are rarely caught. Because larger lobsters are more fertile, Forrest sought to help Albert by taking him to a safe marine reserve where catching lobster is prohibited.
