Oh Come On - 140 Years Old!

Sarah and Jeff said that I have been too hung up in the last few blogs with mutations. OK - I shall cool the chromosomal aberrations for now!

News from MSNBC I believe is sooooo suspect. Here is the scoop.

NEW YORK - A 140-year-old lobster once destined for a dinner plate received the gift of life Friday from a New York City seafood restaurant.

George, the 20-pound supercentenarian crustacean, was freed by City Crab and Seafood.
"We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace," said Ingrid E. Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA spokesman Michael McGraw said the group asked the Park Avenue restaurant to return George to the Atlantic Ocean after a diner saw him at the restaurant, where steamed Maine lobster sells for $27 per pound. George had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada and lived in the tank for about 10 days before his release.

Some scientists estimate lobsters can live to be more than 100 years old. PETA and the restaurant guessed George's age at about 140, using a rule of thumb based on the creature's weight.

He was to be released Saturday near Kennebunkport, Maine, in an area where lobster trapping is forbidden.

My biologist training always takes with a grain of salt determining the ages of cold blooded critters such as the American lobster. Let me quote a few sources.

American lobster - Lifespan
Because lobsters molt, it is extremely difficult to determine a lobster's age. However, many lobsters live up to 50 years. http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/American_lobster/id/1910711

Life span: Lobsters are long-lived, but exact ages cannot be determined because lobster shed all hard parts when they molt, leaving no evidence of age. Scientists have estimated that the American lobster may live more likely to a maximum age of 50 years.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/amer_lobster.htm

Lifespan 60 years or more; though it is difficult for scientists to know.

http://www.neaq.org/animals_and_exhibits/animals/american_lobster/index.php

The uncertainly of lobster aging continues throughout the internet - I figure that 140 years is certainly an exaggerated and unscientific estimate.

I am wondering if PETA comes to the rescue of other aging beasts such as eels, sea urchins, squid, octopus, fish and other critters that are sold as food sources in the New York fish markets? I shall hopefully be able to test this question in the future. If I live to a ripe old age and the folks come to take me to the nursing home, I shall hit them with my walker and press PETA's number on my cell phone's speed dial directory! We will then know if they will protect the quality of life for geratic humans.