A couple years ago in our very own back yard. We found a rare 1 in 100 million lobster. Now this normally dark greenish-brown sea crustacean was found to be a bright electric blue. Now the color wasn’t due to paint pollution or its diet, it was actually its genetics. In every Lobster shell there is a pigment that causes it to be red when cooked called astaxanthin. In most lobsters a protein binds to it and shifts its appearance to the darker camouflaged colors which help them hide among the terrain of the ocean floor. But extremely rare cases in mutation can occur which causes a lobster to produce abnormal amounts of this protein, as a result it changes how light reflects off the shell and changes it from a darkish color to a more Vivid blue.

Now because lobsters depend on the color of their shells in order to avoid predators like sharks and seals, this change in their shell color is actually a disadvantage in the wild. The bright blue of the lobster shell stands out sharply against the ocean floor making it extremely easy to spot compared to the original colors. Because of this we rarely ever catch blue lobsters. The actual chance for them to naturally occur is around 1 in 2 million, but because they have a low chance of survival the chance for us to catch ones close to 1 in 100 million.

The iconic red color of a lobster comes from the red pigment that is produced when the binding proteins break apart as it is being cooked. The reason these lobsters are blue is because it has too much binding protein. so sadly when the lobster is cooked it will turn back to the normal bright red due to the protein break apart. And because of this a lot of fishermen and restaurants choose not to cook the rare lobsters. And are usually donated to aquariums or research facilities. Just recently there was a blue lobster named Neptune that was donated to Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center. 

In Rhode Island and our surrounding East Coast Red Lobsters appear more often than most other places and that is due to the sheer volume of lobster fishing in this region. Oftentimes thousands of traps are brought in daily increasing the chance of us catching a genetic mutation. On the rare chance that one is found, it often becomes local news and shown around the community. For example in 2018 blue lobster was caught near Newport and for a short period of time was displayed at the Newport Lobster Shack before being released. I personally feel it is always good to show the community these special Marine creatures, as it shows how much biodiversity we really have in our own Waters.

Ultimately the blue lobster represents more than just a unique catch. It can be used as a catalyst to show how small genetic changes can drastically alter an organism’s appearance and its chance for survival in nature. In an ecosystem defined by tradition and routine, a single blue lobster is a reminder that even in well known ecosystems, the ocean still has surprises waiting for us.