French Fishmonger Buys Extremely Rare Blue Lobster To Save It; Crustacean Will Be Released in Forbidden Fishing Area

An extremely rare lobster was caught and released in France. A fish merchant saved it from being served on a plate by buying it to release it back into the ocean.

Blue Lobster Saved

After seeing it, Les Viviers de Noirmoutier, a fish and seafood merchant in Saint-Gilles on the west coast of France, bought the rare blue lobster. They did it to save the helpless crustacean. The retailer shared the story on Facebook.

According to Les Viviers de Noirmoutier, they did their best to purchase the lobster, which was a female, to keep it from being sold for culinary purposes because they were aware that it was rare - there is only 1 case in 1 to 2 million.

With the help of the island's tourism office, they found a safe area to release it. They wanted to release the lobster around a forbidden fishing area to help it enjoy a long, peaceful, and happy life.

However, prior to the release, they asked netizens to suggest a name for the rare creature. Comments suggest various names, including Smurfette, Azurelle, and Sapphire.

It wasn't the first time a rare blue lobster was caught. Those who captured the rare crustacean usually returned it to the ocean to preserve the species.

In 2022, there were at least two reports when fishermen caught a similar lobster.

Morgan Bizec, a fisherman from St. Brelade, was as lucky last year and even shared photos of a rare bright blue lobster that he caught in the sea off Jersey in the Channel Islands. He was shocked when he realized one of his catches was a rare lobster. Lars Johan Larsson, a fisherman from Portland, Maine, also made a once-in-a-lifetime catch off the coast of Portland.

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Is Blue Lobster The Rarest In Its Kind?

Although blue lobsters appear to be a distinct species due to their vivid color, they are merely a type of common American or European lobster. Homarus americanus, or American lobsters, are often a murky brown, green, or pale orange. Homarus gammarus, a species of American lobster, is a dark navy blue or purple in appearance.

A genetic anomaly that causes excessive protein amounts is what gives them their distinctive hue. Experts estimate that the likelihood of this coloring anomaly occurring is one in two million due to its exceptional rarity. However, these statistics are just educated approximations.

According to the Lobster Institute, the chances of witnessing a red lobster-one that is red before it is cooked-are one in 10 million, while the odds of seeing a yellow or calico lobster are one in 30 million. Calico lobster is orange but has black shells on it. The rarest one is albino or crystal lobster, which is colorless. There is reportedly one in 100 million odds of finding one.

The blue lobster appears relatively abundant in relation to the red, yellow, calico, and albino lobsters.