Most lobsters caught in the waters of North America are a murky, greeny-brown color (which turn an organe-pink color when boiled and sold at expensive eateries.) In a rare find, two fishermen in Nova Scotia caught two bright blue lobsters in succession. The lobsters were captured some 150 kilometers (93 miles) apart. One lobster was caught by Blaine Marsh, and the other by Scott MacKinnon.
Whether the lobsters will be eaten is uncertain. On Twitter user certainly doesn’t think so. Gautam Trivedi (@Gotham3) tweeted: “Rare blue lobster caught near Nova Scotia, Canada. Look at his cute eyes that say please don’t kill me.”
Blue lobsters exist due to a genetic mutation, where cellular activity leads to a protein being formed that turns the lobster iridescent blue from birth. Other mutations are possible. In 2011, a Dorset fishing boat caught an extremely rare albino, or “crystal”, lobster.
Traditionally, among the fishing community, the capture of a bright blue lobster is taken as a sign of good fortune. Certainly it is a rare find, with the odds being one in two million, at least according to the University of Maine Lobster Institute.
Pouring a little cold water on these odds, David Spiegelhalter, professor for the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, told BBC News: “So for two to be caught three days apart, quite close to each other, does not seem at all surprising. I would imagine it happens most years.” The academic thinks the odds of finding a blue lobster are more like one in a few hundred thousand. Nevertheless, it’s still a pretty rare find.
