A FISHERMAN got more than he bargained for when he hauled in his lobster pots - one of the biggest specimens he had ever seen.

Richard Cornwell

A FISHERMAN got more than he bargained for when he hauled in his lobster pots - one of the biggest specimens he had ever seen.

Andrew Moore was astonished at the whopper in the wicker basket, with the female lobster weighing an amazing three kilos-plus.

While it would have made a super supper for a big family, the lobster has had a lucky escape from the pot after boatyard staff persuaded the colossal crustacean's captor to let Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre have her instead.

Fisherman Andrew Moore, 54, of Felixstowe Ferry, said the lobster caught in a creel was one of the biggest he had ever seen, and in the best condition.

He has been supplying lobsters and edible crabs to restaurants for many years, but needed little persuasion to grant her a reprieve.

“Andrew was actually quite pleased when the Sea Life Centre agreed to take her,” said Felixstowe Ferry boatyard secretary and bookkeeper Mandy Lloyd, 54.

“And I think he even felt a bit honoured when we christened her Winkle, which has been Andrew's nickname for as long as he can remember.”

Sea Life Centre displays supervisor Christine Pitcher agreed Winkle was an impressive specimen.

“She's about 40 cms long and weighs over three kilos, and is certainly the biggest lobster we've had at the centre for many years,” she said.

“Lobsters can live to around 100 years old, and Winkle may well be as old as Andrew,” she added.