NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- A giant lobster named George escaped a dinner-table fate and was released Saturday into the Atlantic Ocean after a New York seafood restaurant granted him his freedom , according to a statement from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals . George the lobster was a `` sort of mascot '' for City Crab and Seafood in New York . The lobster , which PETA said was 140 years old and weighed 20 pounds , had been confined to a tank at City Crab and Seafood restaurant in Manhattan when two customers alerted the animal group . The PETA statement did not say how the extraordinary age estimate was determined , but restaurant manager Keith Valenti told CNN that lobsters can grow a pound every seven to 10 years , and he put George 's weight at 18 to 20 pounds . `` I 've been here for 12 years , and that 's the biggest lobster I 've ever seen , '' Valenti said . He said the lobster had been `` sitting in the restaurant 's tank and acting as a sort of mascot , '' but when PETA got involved and requested the release , it `` seemed like the right thing to do . '' PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement , `` We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace . `` We hope that their kind gesture serves as an example that these intriguing animals do n't deserve to be confined to tiny tanks or boiled alive . '' Shedding the tight confines of his old restaurant display tank , George was driven to Maine by PETA members and was returned to his natural habitat on the ocean floor Saturday , the organization said .
PETA estimated lobster 's age at 140 years ; he weighed 20 pounds . Group 's members drove him to Maine and released him into the ocean . Restaurant manager said George was `` biggest lobster I 've ever seen ''