Giant '50-year-old' crabs found

Claude will live out his days at Weymouth's Sea Life Centre

Two giant edible crabs that experts believe could be 50 years old have been caught at different points off Dorset.

One, nicknamed Claude and weighing 17.5lbs (7.9kg), was found by a diver on the seabed at Portland Harbour.

Paul Martin, of Yetminster, gave the 2ft (0.6m) creature to the Weymouth Sea Life Centre.

The other crab, weighing 17lbs (7.7kg), was found by Paul Worsley, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, during a recent diving trip in Lyme Regis.

Most edible crabs found off British waters weigh up to about 6lbs (2.7kg) and have a body that is typically 6in (15cm) across.

Mr Worsley caught his crab on the wreck site of the warship Empress of India, which was sunk off Portland as a gunnery target in 1913.

It's really hard to tell the age of a crab but it is possible it could be about 50 years old from its size Sea Life Centre spokeswoman

Douglas Lanfear, who runs the boat that took Mr Worsley diving, said: "It was truly a monster".

"It was the biggest crab I have ever seen in all my years and there were fishermen who have been working here for 30 years and they said they hadn't seen anything like it.

"The claws were absolutely huge - as big as my hands - and if you got your finger caught, it would take it off."

A spokeswoman for the Weymouth Sea Life Centre, which is looking after the Portland Harbour crab, said they were prevented from returning it to the sea.

'Good condition'

"There is a law that prevents us from returning creatures to the sea after they have been in our tanks, so the crab will be staying here," she said.

"It's really hard to tell the age of a crab but it is possible it could be about 50 years old from its size.

"It's in really good condition. The man who brought it in said it weighed 17.5lbs."

The Lyme Regis crab was caught 13 miles (21km) off shore, Mr Lanfear added.

"I don't know why it was so big but probably just because of age."

He said the diver took it away with plans to eat it.