The trawler, Britannia, was 200 miles south west of Newlyn when Poseidon was hauled on to the deck.

Poseidon dwarfs other lobsters, measuring two feet in length and weighing a whopping nine-and a-quarter pounds. He was accidentally caught while the crew were fishing for bass on a wreck.

Saved from the cooking pot, Poseidon is now on display at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay. Experts are now consulting record books to see if Poseidon is the biggest ever landed in Britain.

Blue Reef's David Waines said: "He's a real monster. He's so big that it takes two members of staff to pick him up safely.

"Over the years we have looked after some very big crustaceans, ranging from Alaskan king crabs to lobsters, but everyone here believes this is the largest specimen we've ever seen."

The pink spiny lobster is closely related to the common crawfish but is usually found off the west coast of Africa and in the Mediterranean.

"British records for this particular species are rare and we're still trying to establish whether Poseidon is a record breaker," said Mr Waines.

Poseidon was one of three lobsters landed by the Britannia. The other two were sold at market in Newlyn.

"Poseidon's extraordinary size saved him from the pot and we're now hoping that he'll be able to live out the rest of his days in the safety of the aquarium. No one's certain how long these lobsters live but to have grown so large he is a real old man of the sea."

article copyright THE CORNISHMAN 

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