Giant Aussie lobsters — which can break bones, live over 60 years and grow to the size of your average dog — are facing extinction.
The Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster, also known as the giant freshwater crayfish, is the biggest freshwater invertebrate on earth and is only found in streams and rivers in northern Tasmania.
But research from local “Lobster Man,” Todd Walsh, shows that numbers are dropping, with decades of land clearing and poaching taking their toll.
“It goes back to my great-grandfather. My father taught me how to catch them and I’ve got connections going back generations to this animal,” he told the ABC.
The giant lobsters were once considered to be a delicious snack and Walsh used to catch them for food.
But now, he uses his great-grandfather’s skills for good and has tagged more than 1,600 of the ancient creatures from 62 different rivers across Tasmania.
Researchers think there are about 100,000 giant freshwater crayfish left in Tasmania, although no firm number exists because they live underwater and in remote areas.
But, there is renewed hope for the massive crustacean after the discovery of more than 30 babies bred in captivity earlier this month.
The arthropods were bred in a specialized sanctuary — the Lobster Ponds Haven, near Wynyard in Tasmania’s North West.
Manager Kevin Hyland said the event was a “world first.”
“School excursions and children’s groups are encouraged to visit with the realization that the younger generation will become the custodians of the environment,” he said.
At the same time, many older visitors have reminisced about how they used to catch the massive lobsters to eat.
“Some now are regrettably realizing the error of their ways,” Hyland said.