RENO - Reno residents said goodbye to a 75-year-old veteran of the sea Thursday. He could have ended up on a Reno buffet menu, but instead, he's moving back east.

We're talking about "Reggie," an enormous lobster who's been living at a popular local deli for the past two weeks. Reggie caused quite a stir during his stay here, but now he's resting on a bed of ice while he travels to his new home.

He's an Atlantic lobster, who was flown into to Reno a few weeks ago, after the seafood manager at Butcher Boy asked his supplier for the "biggest lobster available." It turns out, Reggie was a little more than he bargained for.

With claws the size of footballs, a lobster cracker wouldn't do you any good. 75-year-old Reggie is the biggest thing the Butcher Boy tank has ever held.

"Just under 12 pounds, but he's probably over 12 now because we've been sneaking him scallops and I think he's gained a little weight," said Butcher Boy's seafood manager, Fionn Samuels.

A concerned customer walked in, and saw poor Reggie squeezed in among his much more feeble friends. Knowing the lobster's $20-dollar-per-pound price tag might be too expensive for a local diner, the customer called a friend who could give Reggie a second chance.

"These guys are really smart. To live 80 years and avoid those traps takes a little bit of intelligence. He made a mistake and got into one. I don't think he'll do that again," said Marine Conservationist, Captain Paul Watson, who drove all the way from Washington to rescue the veteran crustacean.

Watson paid $233.00 to give Reggie a second chance.

"Not a bad price for a second chance at life," said Watson.

After checking Reggie's under-belly to make sure he wasn't a Regina, Butcher Boy employees packed Reggie with saltwater and seaweed to keep him comfortable for the ride.

Locals say they were sad to see the old lobster leave the high desert for new territory, but appeased by Reggie's opportunity for a new life. The seafood manager says he'll remember the old lobster for his 'maternal instincts,' and knows his new friends in Maine will be safer with Reggie around.

"He rounds all the little lobsters together lays on top and it looks like he's hatching eggs. He actually takes care of them. We have live dungenness crabs in the tank as well and If I didn't know better, I'd say he's protecting the lobsters from the crabs," said Samuels.

Reggie is now headed back east where he'll spend thirty days in quarantine at the Maine Department of Marine Resources. After that, he'll be released into a marine reserve where he'll hopefully be a little more careful to avoid those traps.

Reggie's life expectancy is 200 years old, and if he sticks around long enough, he could end up growing to a whopping 30 pounds.