Did stress kill the yellow lobster? By John DePetro
Thursday, August 19, 2010
John DePetro can be heard weekday mornings 6-10A, on GoLocalProv media partner 630WPRO & 99.7 FM, and podcasts of show highlights are found at 630wpro.com.
Three weeks ago, a local lobsterman named Denny Ingram, hit the powerball of lobsters when he caught a rare “yellow” lobster. A “yellow” lobster is so rare, experts estimate the odds of finding one are 1 in 30 million.
Ingram named his yellow lobster “Tyler,” and made news around the world with a picture of the lobsterman smiling holding his unique yellow catch. People wanted to see “Tyler” and have their picture taken. Schools wanted to take children to view it and learn more about creatures of the sea.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTDenny Ingram could have sold his rare find to a seafood restaurant to display in a big tank, or auctioned it off for the ultimate “1 in 30 million” clambake. Instead, Ingram did what he thought was the right thing and handed him over to the URI Bay campus for observation and study.
Within one week, Tyler the yellow lobster was dead, and URI was claiming he died from “stress.” A lobster, living in a cold tank, died from stress? Do lobsters feel stress? Does a fish on a hook feel stress? What about the stress of trying to hide in the ocean from lobstermen when you are bright yellow? How about the feeling of being held over a boiling pot of water? I think it would be far more stressful living as a scavenger in the ocean while dodging lobster pots, then relaxing in a tank at URI.
The crew at URI actually said the lobster was “stressed out to the max” when he arrived and they could not save him. Perhaps they feel he needed rehab. Who would have thought we would find the lobster equivalent of Lindsey Lohan? URI claims he was put alone in a cold tank of water and then was found unresponsive.
Well, maybe he did not like being put in “solitary confinement.” What did our yellow star do deserve being locked up alone? Maybe he like the attention of the kids, tourist, photos, and being seen around the globe. All of his life, the yellow lobster felt left out and different. After he was caught, he was finally celebrated for being 1 in 30 million.
If only he had been given to Mystic or the New England aquarium, he might still be alive today. Instead, he was given to a group who claim that a lobster died from the stress of having people look at him and take his picture. I would wish them good luck at the URI Bay campus, but they would not know what to do with it.
John DePetro can be heard weekday mornings 6-10A, on GoLocalProv media partner 630WPRO & 99.7 FM, and podcasts of show highlights are found at 630wpro.com.
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