Jersey Fisherman Caught Rare Blue Lobster And Returned It to The Sea to Conserve Uniquely Colored Crustacean

Morgan Bizec, a fisherman from St. Brelade, shared photos of a rare bright blue lobster that he caught in the sea off Jersey in the Channel Islands. He was surprised that day when he noticed that one of his catches was a rare kind of lobster.

An expert from Oxford University's zoology department explained that the bright blue color of the lobster is due to a genetic abnormality. Scientists estimated that there are only one-in-two million chances of catching this extremely rare blue lobster.

(Photo : FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
This picture taken on April 19, 2017, shows a blue lobster at Oceanopolis, a sea center in Brest, western of France.

Blue Lobster Caught in Jersey Returned to the Sea

Mr. Bizec said that he did not expect to see the blue lobster when they fish 25 pots out of their 400 pots. BBC News reported that although the one-in-two-million blue lobster was within the legal size to be captured, he decided to let the crustacean go back into the ocean to conserve their species.

Under Jersey fishing regulations, the minimum size of a lobster to be legally fished should be at least 3.4 inches (87 millimeters). In history, only a handful of fishermen in Jersey have reported catching a blue lobster in the seas of Bailiwick.

Société Jersiaise's Marine Biology Section chairman Gareth Jeffreys explained that this kind of lobster is indeed extremely rare and unique. Aside from blue, there are other colors of lobsters that are also a product of genetic mutation.

Kevin McIlwee from the Jersey Marine Conservation added that there used to be lots of blue lobsters in the area, but its population substantially decreased over time and became less and less frequent, which proves that its unique color is due to a rare mutation.

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Genetic Mutation Created Different Colored Lobsters

According to National Geographic, lobster coloring is due to astaxanthin which is thought to be biologically important. The pigment is responsible for the color depending on how it is contorted. Most lobsters in the wild have a stack-up of reds, blues, and yellows that produce their muddy brown coloration.

Michael Tlusty from the University of Massachusetts Boston explained that astaxanthin is hanging loose and free in the skin, but the proteins inside the shell bind, grab, and twist it to turn it into the color of a lobster. They only turn red when cooked because the proteins binding the pigment turn it back to red.

How Much is A Blue Lobster?

Lobsters are typically caught off the Atlantic and North American coast. Although blue lobsters deviate from their usual color of unattractive greeny-brown, blue lobsters are perfectly suitable for consumption.

According to Investopedia, a blue lobster is priced as high as $500 on eBay, but it failed to attract a single bid. Experts said that it is difficult to put a price tag on this rare lobster, and its worth is debatable. For this price, people could already buy a pair of rare Nike sneakers.