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Nice catch: TSA finds 20-pound lobster in checked bag at Logan

A 20-plus pound lobster was screened at Logan International Airport over the weekend.Michael McCarthy/TSA

Officials from the Transportation Security Administration said there’s no “claws” for alarm after a roughly 20-pound live lobster was spotted in a person’s checked luggage at Logan International Airport over the weekend.

“I cannot speak to any airline policies, but TSA has no prohibition on transporting lobsters,” said TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy in an e-mail to the Globe. “It’s actually fairly common in the New England region.”

But make no mistake, it was a seriously big crustacean.

“It’s certainly the largest lobster I have ever seen,” McCarthy said. “And I’d be surprised if we’ve ever screened a larger lobster.”

McCarthy on Monday shared an image to Twitter of a TSA agent holding up the massive lobster that was discovered in the passenger’s luggage at the airport’s Terminal C. He did not specify where the passenger was headed.

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In the photo, the officer has an amused smirk on his face, as he shows off the size of the lobster — and its claws.

“TSA officers are skilled at screening all sorts of items in checked baggage...including this 20+ pound lobster at Boston Logan,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter.

According to the TSA’s website, “a live lobster is allowed through security and must be transported in a clear, plastic, spill-proof container.”

McCarthy said that in this case, the lobster was in a cooler, and was “alive and cooperated quite nicely with the screening process.”

The TSA’s website states that officers will visually inspect lobsters before they are put on a flight. But the agency recommends passengers first contact the airline they’re flying on before arriving at the airport.


Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.