Fisherman finds rare two-million-to-one blue lobster in Plymouth Sound

Plymouth Herald ^ | 9 SEP 2023 | Katie Timms

[nickcarraway]

Mallory Haas, 38, from The Ships Project said she was "surprised" to see the creature - which she had never seen before in the wild.

Mallory, originally from Ohio, US, said: "I'd never seen a lobster underwater that blue. I've seen some in a tank with bits of blue on them, that is quite common, but totally blue is very rare.

"I've seen one in a tank before that was very white, like a ghost, but this one was almost aqua blue - all down her legs. The fisherman who gave her to us said he had decided to release it because of how rare it was, and wanted us to return it to the water.

"It was such a surprise, but she was lovely. We think she must be about 50 years old - you can tell from the size of her claws and body. I'm not sure what causes the blue colour, but I think it can potentially be triggered by environmental factors.

"The blue comes from a B protein that can be released into a lobster's body due to a genetic defect which can be caused by environmental factors, so while it's more likely that if she has babies they will be blue, they might not be.

"We've seen loads of lobsters this year, they all love to hide in cracks and holes on the sea bed in the Sound. I've heard there are more than usual this year, but she has clearly been here some time."

[PIF]

Probably very tough. But there is only one way to find out. Start the buter melting ...

[NFHale]

Add lemon and old bay… Oh, baby

[Red Badger]

Old lobsters are not very tasty and they are tough......................

[Howie66]

Quick!

Reparations!!

[Red Badger]

Researchers at the University of Maine's Lobster Institute have disputed the rarity of blue lobsters, but say finding a red lobster is even rarer - at around one in ten million.

"...red lobster is even rarer..."...We have a Red Lobster right down the street!..............

[dblshot]

Name her Pelosi, blue, old and not very tasty.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

At his age, he’ll be lucky if he tastes like chicken, LOL!

[Red Badger]

Will a Blue Lobster turn red when you cook them?..................

[Fai Mao]

I bet both lobsters voted for Biden twice.

[Jane Long]

[Jewbacca]

I’d breed it. People would want it in fish tanks.

[Magnum44]

[ViLaLuz]

We got a huge lobster for Christmas one year. Estimated to be about 40 years old. It wasn’t tough and it was delicious in paella.

[Robert DeLong]

Blue lobsters are rare due to a genetic defect that causes the lobster to make excessive amounts of the protein that creates the color. The interaction between a protein and the red pigment astaxanthin accounts for the colors. The normal coloration of Homarus americanus is bluish green to brown with red spines due to a mixture of yellow, blue, and red pigments that occur naturally in the shell. On rare occasions, these colors are distorted due to genetic mutations or conditions creating a spectacle for those who catch them. There is approximately a one in 2 million chance of finding a blue lobster. Cooking turns colored lobsters red because the proteins that twisted the pigment astaxanthin around to produce yellow and blue hues can't handle the heat and fall apart.

So, does a blue one have his life spared, or is he cooked just like any other lobster caught? 🙂

[ifinnegan]

Thanks for the biochemistry background.

[Rio]

Do they turn red when boiled?

[Robert DeLong]

I was looking for myself, and just thought I would share. 🙂

[PIF]

Mike Rowe had a show on How America Works about spices on blue crab which every one claimed was Old Bay. Turns out that it was another company altogether that supplies 98% of all the crab spices. I forgot the name, unfortunately

[nutmeg]

LOL!