Portland, Maine, resident and fisherman, who snagged a rare bright blue lobster, released it. The lobster was captured by a fisherman off the coast of Maine. Lars-Johan Larsson, a successful IT entrepreneur, posted a photo of a blue crab he had recently seen.
Yesterday, a blue lobster like this one was collected off the coast of Portland and released to grow. Rare as a blue lobster is, he observed, “the odds of seeing one are one in two million.
The lobster’s blue shell is the product of a genetic abnormality; normally, the crustacean’s exoskeleton is reddish brown. According to Toronto Sun, this condition increases protein production in the lobster, giving it a unique blue shell.
Although blue lobsters are relatively uncommon, some lobsters collected for human food will likely be blue. According to the BBC, catching a blue lobster is a good omen among fishermen.
When boiling, the North Atlantic lobsters most people eat are pinkish-red, but when raw, they are a greenish brown.
Researchers at the United Kingdom’s National Lobster Hatchery in Cornwall found that “the American lobster is normally a type of greeny-brown,” so anything bright blue would look weird to fishermen in the United States. “In contrast, European lobsters are typically a more subdued shade of blue.
True iridescent blue is still unusual in these parts, but for a European angler, it won’t be as shocking as it would be for a North American.”
Rarer than vivid blue lobsters are those that are yellow, orange, or crystal clear. It is estimated that the odds of catching a rare albino or “crystal” lobster are one in a hundred million. In contrast, the Lobster Institute reported that yellow lobsters make up just around one in thirty million stocks.
In 2011, two Dorset fishermen brought home a crystal lobster. According to Rob Bayer, director of the University of Maine Lobster Center, “Whatever the odds of catching different-colored lobsters, there’s no denying that bright blue ones are truly beautiful creatures,”
These are not the most peculiar, but they are the most attractive. Some eateries made headlines when they discovered a blue lobster in their haul and decided to give it a permanent home. Blue lobsters are being spared from the kitchen more and more often.
Chef Austin Hopley of Rochdale, United Kingdom’s “The Hare,” gained notoriety for deciding not to serve a vivid sapphire-colored lobster. According to Hopley, he had a “crisis of conscience” and was determined to save the animal’s life, so much so that he named it Larry. According to BBC News, Hopley donated the lobster to Sea Life in Manchester, where it still lives.
According to Hopley, this is the first time something like this has happened. He argued that the moral thing to do was find him a place where everyone would appreciate him.
“Because I learned it was so uncommon, I decided it wasn’t something I wanted to risk destroying. For some reason, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to include it on the menu. We put in a lot of time calling around to different places. I called a bunch of local pet stores and pet stores that specialize in aquatic animals since I was concerned about how long it may be out of the water.”
He pursued many potential buyers before reaching out to Merlin Entertainments, the company that owns Sea Life, and finding an enthusiastic buyer about the offer.
“They sent someone out to get him and now he’s there for people to enjoy,” said Hopley. “I felt like I needed to make sure it happened. I felt responsible. Something so rare didn’t warrant a place on the menu,” Furthermore, he said. Hopley, who had served lobster but has since eliminated it off the menu because “Every species deserves a fair chance at survival,” said this.
“It is certainly an extraordinary find and worth saving to try to educate the public about these amazing creatures in the ecosystem.” said Brendan Malone, a curator and marine expert from Sea Life.
According to, Upworthy
(Photos right to the original owner)
