The ocean holds an enormous variety of creatures, from shrimp to sharks and dolphins to dugongs. Each one of these many animals is very different from one another. Still, every so often, creatures within the same species will develop rare mutations making them vastly different from their relatives. Lobsters are known for being dark red, almost black, when in the water. However, red is not the only color that lobsters have been seen! Shades of yellow and orange have been caught, and individuals with a blue hue, ranging from deepest royal blue to this pale blue cotton candy lobster.
Man catches cotton candy lobster
Robinson Russell is a fisherman from a small island called Grand Manan off the coast of mainland New Brunswick, Canada, and has been fishing in his local bay for 20 years. What he recently discovered had a one in a million chance of happening. He caught a beautiful and extremely rare lobster, with shades of baby blue, pearly whites, and pale purple instead of its normal brownish-red color.
Russell decided to name his new friend the only name that made sense to him, Lucky. He is convinced that Lucky does not have albinism but is in fact that unique iridescent shade of blue, making it the cotton candy lobster. Russell says that he has seen all kinds of colors out there in the bay, yellow, orange, and blueish-green but never one like Lucky. His unique coloring is a result of a genetic mutation that causes one of the blue pigments in the shell to be displayed more prominently.
Russell knows that Lucky is very special and did not want this rare creature to end up on someone’s plate. So, he couldn’t bring himself to sell the cotton candy lobster. Therefore, he decided to donate ‘Lucky,’ the cotton candy lobster, to the Huntsman Marine Aquarium in St. Andrew. This is where he will spend the rest of his days, fascinating and teaching the next generation of marine biologists and fishermen.[1]
Why the cotton candy lobster has such a unique colour
The lobster institute of the University of Maine says that the blue hue may be caused by an abundance of blue pigment. This is as a result of a genetic defect and that one in every two million. A professor from the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, David Spiegelhalter, said that he was not surprised by these rare colors. Consequently, his calculations show that of the 200 million lobster caught every year, over 100 would present as blue. “No one quite knows why this happens,” says Dr. Robert Bayer.
A fisherman and his co-worker caught two bright blue lobsters off the coast of Nova Scotia. According to local fishing folklore, good fortune is destined to follow.[1][2]
Other rare lobsters
Lobsters caught off the Atlantic coast are more often a greeny-brown color that turns red once boiled. According to the National Lobster Hatchery in Cornwall, lobsters from Europe are a much less vibrant shade. They tend to be more of a dull, muted color. The BBC reports that there are colors even rarer; yellow lobsters account for every one in 30 million.[3]
Two fishermen caught an albino or Chrystal lobster. The odds of that happening are one in 100 million.
Rare lobsters are perfectly good to eat if you have the money for it. Since it is such a once-in-a-lifetime catch, you can expect to pay upwards of $500 on eBay.
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Sources
- “Fisherman Catches Rare Cotton Candy Lobster — And Decides To Spare His Life.” The Dodo.Lily Feinn. June 16, 2018.
- “What’s the Value of a Blue Lobster?” Investopedia. Allison Martin. June 22, 2020.
- “How rare are bright blue lobsters?” BBC. May 26, 2016.
