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Lobster gets official Thanksgiving pardon

Senior biologist Christopher Paparo lowers Jean Claude, a 24-pound lobster, into a tank at its new home in Riverhead.

There’s no chance this lobster will turn red for Thanksgiving.


Nearly 3 feet long and weighing a whopping 24 pounds, the brownish Jean Claude dodged the steam pot this week and will instead enjoy his golden years at Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead.


“It’s a rare opportunity for people to see a lobster this size,” said aquarium curator Joseph Yaiullo, announcing Atlantis’ first annual “curatorial” lobster pardon. “Not only because they are rarely on display, but also because they are often, unfortunately, overfished.”


The annual event will be planned each year for the week of Thanksgiving, to coincide with the White House’s popular turkey pardon.


As for Jean Claude — named for the French-Canadian waters from which he was harvested — he owes much of his good fortune to the folks who saved his tail, the patrons and waitstaff at Feed and Grain Restaurant in Northport Village. 


“We took up a collection to save him,” said server Jody Bonura of Northport. “He came in for all intentions to be cooked and a few people got quite upset when a bar patron wanted to eat him.”


“We’ll have to visit him and see if he’s okay,” she continued. “The old guy; we felt bad for him. He lived so long and now he was sitting in a tank, so it was kind of upsetting.”


The staff and customers raised about $225 to pay for the lobster, with the rest of the donations, over $1,000, going to a cancer charity, Ms. Bonura explained.


As for the massive lobster’s age, Mr. Yaiullo said there is no way of knowing for sure. 


“Aging lobsters is still in its research phases and has not been absolutely proven to be definitive,” Mr. Yaiullo said, noting that scientists suggest never assigning ages to lobsters because there is no way to tell for sure.


Jean Claude arrived last week and is settling into his new home, which is in a tank in the aquarium’s research center, the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. He will be on display at Atlantis from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.


As for the stomach-stretching bar patron who wanted to eat Jean Claude, Ms. Bonura said “He ate a bunch of smaller lobsters instead.”