Served on a plate, George would have cost a hungry diner more than $100, but this elderly crustacean has been set free instead.
George is a 140-year-old lobster that was granted a reprieve by the New York City restaurant City Crab and Seafood.
The 20-pound crustacean was returned to the wild Saturday in a rocky cove in Kennebunkport, Maine, less than a mile from the summer home of former President George H.W. Bush.
George was transported to Maine by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which had beseeched City Crab and Seafood to allow the lobster to go free.
The giant lobster had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada, and lived in the restaurant's tank for about 10 days before his release.
The New York Daily News reports that cooked lobster meat at City Crab typically sells for $27 a pound, and a 20-pounder would yield about 5 pounds of cooked meat, according to cooking guidelines at LobsterClambake.com. Hypothetically, that would have put George's menu price tag at about $135.
But as long as George remains in Maine, he won't have to worry about ending his life in a pot of boiling water. Fishermen are barred from keeping lobsters that exceed the state's legal size limit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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