“Gangster crab” video goes viral overnight

On the lobster boat in Casco Bay, the rest of the crew and I used to always look for ways to pass the day during down time.

Sometimes we’d document cool things, like mutant lobsters or lobsters in the molting stage:

Other times, we’d just goof off for a minute before getting back to work:

And once we even staged a photo that we called “Benedict Lobster”:

I’d usually blog about these experiences, and they typically seemed to get a really great response from readers, but it was nothing compared to a video published online yesterday, which already has over 11,000 views on YouTube and a staggering 20 million views on Facebook.

The video, titled “Gangster crab!”, comes from Viral Video UK, and amidst the incredible view count is seeing both positive and negative reactions.

Some people think the video is hilarious, while others see it as cruel towards the crab.

Personally, I feel that while it might not have been the kindest way to treat the crab, it’s a lot better than doing what I used to have to do to the crabs that came up in my former captain’s lobster traps:

What do you think?

Chris Shorr

About Chris Shorr

Chris is a sixth generation Portlander who loves all things Maine. He has worked with mentally ill and marginalized adults at a Portland non-profit, on a lobster boat in Casco Bay, at several high-end Portland restaurants, and at a local meat packing plant. He also ran for Portland City Council in 2013, wrote a weekly column in the now defunct Portland Daily Sun, and currently writes a weekly column in The Portland Phoenix.