12-pound lobster found off coast of Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KABC) -- A lobster caught off the coast of Santa Barbara got a second chance at life, thanks to a soft-hearted fisherman.

Forrest Galante was night fishing when he stumbled upon a 12-pound Pacific spiny lobster.

Galante named him Albert Girther and took his catch home. The next morning, Albert was still alive and well, and Galante had a change of heart.

"There was just no way I could kill it for a one-time meal. I rushed him down to their sea center, where they just marveled at the size of him, and quickly accepted him and put him into one of their tanks," Galante said.

Workers at the aquarium say Albert is around 70 years old.

After a few weeks, Galante picked up Albert and took him to a marine sanctuary in the Channel Islands, where he could live out his final years in peace.

Experts encourage people to leave the big ones in the wild because they are the most fertile and protective of other smaller lobsters.