Large Ocean Critter Dies

The seafood world last week mourned the death of a 22-pound lobster named Bubba, who may have been up to 100 years old. CNN described Bubba as "a gigantic lobster that may have survived two world wars and Prohibition."

Bubba enlisted in the army in 1919 and was decorated with a Gold Bib for his actions at the Battle of Bayside Lagoon, where his sharp claws skewered fifteen enemy crabs. After the war Bubba ran a popular Boston nightclub, the Lucky Chowdah, and smuggled casks of whiskey across the ocean floor from Newfoundland. Called back into service during World War II, Bubba's underwater scampering for the US Navy proved invaluable in targeting German u-boats off the coast of New England.

Lobsters of Bubba's size are rare, because most lobsters are caught and eaten when they are just a few years old. "Under ideal conditions, lobsters are immortal. They just keep getting bigger and more delicious every year," said spokeswoman Rachel Capp of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, where Bubba will be examined for science. The zoo plans to hold a Bisque Day celebration and fundraiser dinner next week in Bubba's honor.