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Owner Of Giant Lobster Says TSA Photo Was An Invasion Of Privacy

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (CBS/AP) – The claws are coming out.

Earlier this week, a photo taken by the TSA of a giant lobster among luggage at Logan Airport got thousands of shares on social media. But not everyone is amused.

The Georgia man who was transporting the 20-pound lobster told WBZ-TV's David Wade that he packed the crustacean and other lobsters in a cooler labeled "live lobster." He says the TSA sharing what was in his checked baggage for all to see is an invasion of privacy.

live-lobster
The cooler labeled "Live Lobster" (WBZ)

"Very upset with tsa. . . I felt it was a huge invasion of my privacy," Christopher Stracuzza wrote in a Facebook message. "I honestly gave no one permission to take photos . . . for them to do that should be against the law."

lobster after 1
Enjoying a lobster dinner after the airport incident (Image credit: Chris Stracuzza)

And Lisa Feinman, the owner of a Connecticut fish market where he bought the lobsters, says she was "personally offended" by the TSA's actions.

"This TSA agent should mind his own business," the owner of Atlantic Seafood Market in Old Saybrook wrote on Facebook. "When is it okay to go through someones checked baggage and take photographs?"

TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy posted the photo of a screener holding the lobster, and news stories about the unusual find have been shared thousands of times.

Feinman wrote that the lobster's claws could have broken off because the TSA agent didn't know how to properly handle it.

"Do your job and leave our personal property alone," she said.

The TSA has not responded to requests for comment.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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