A WEST Charleton free diver has caught the biggest lobster in the UK in almost a century between Prawle Point and Lannacombe.

Teacher Joe Pike was free diving and spear fishing in the area when he spotted the lobster, who he has named Lionel. ‘I saw it under a ledge and I could see it was unusually big, so I picked it up to take it home and weigh it, but it was too big for the scales.’ said Joe.

Joe caught Lionel on Tuesday, August 16, then took him to the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, where he was weighed at 7.65kg and was kept in the back of the aquarium for a few days before being placed in the ‘Plymouth Sound’ exhibit area to welcome visitors.

‘I think its the biggest caught since 1931’, said Joe, ‘A large one was caught in 2008 at just under 13 pounds, but Lionel is 7.65kg or 17 pounds.’

James Wright, curator of the National Marine Aquarium, agreed with Joe’s research and also thinks its the largest Homarus gammarus, or Common Lobster, caught since 1931: ‘We have to be careful to not confuse records with Homarus americanus, or American Lobster, which can be much larger and are now found in UK waters.

‘After this, there was a 7kg individual taken to the aquarium I used to work at in Portsmouth. It is thought that is the next largest since the 1931 record.

‘We previously had another notably largest specimen a few years ago but that was just under 6kgs.

‘We held this one for a while back of house to allow it to get used to water quality difference in the aquarium and also to feed up. He has been munching through good size squid at quite a rate!

‘He now has pride of place welcoming visitors to the “Plymouth Sound” exhibit area in the first display they see. We are very keen at the National Marine Aquarium to promote our native aquatic life when many aquariums have moved to favour more exotic species.’

The National Marine Aquarium have changed his name to Trevor - we prefer Lionel the Lobster, but what do we know? - and he will now live out his days in their tank. Although it is difficult to tell how old lobsters are as they don’t age the same way as we do, biologists at the NMA estimate that he is between 50 and 70-years-old.

A spokesman for the NMA said on their Facebook page that ‘due to our zoo license, now he’s on exhibit it means we can’t release him back into the sea, however we’ll ensure he is well looked after and well fed.’Lionel/Trevor will stay in the 'Plymouth Sound' tank before being transferred to the Eddystone Rock exhibit which is much larger.