Local News
A local couple was surprised by a rare find in their trap — something completely out of the blue.
Anne Rodgers and her husband, Marblehead Veterans Agent David Rodgers, found a rare blue lobster Thursday morning while moving lobster traps in preparation for Hurricane Lee, according to a local newspaper.
“It was really blue — like blue-rubber-gloves blue. It was beautiful,” Anne said to the Marblehead Current.
These almost neon blue lobsters are an extremely rare find according to statistics previously published by the New England Aquarium — only 1 in 2 million lobsters are this bright shade of azure.
As far as what makes these sea creatures such a bright hue, experts say that a genetic mutation causes it. The mutation makes the lobster’s body over-produce a protein that creates the color.
One X user posted the image of Anne and the lobster.
The couple was outside of Tinker’s Island near the Roaring Bull area when Anne spotted something shockingly blue amidst the other crustaceans, according to reporting by the Marblehead Current.
The couple confirmed to the newspaper that their blue lobster was of a legal size to keep. However, they had a moral conundrum about taking it out of the water, according to the news outlet.
Anne said she briefly wondered what the rare catch would look like mounted onto the wall. The Rodgers also considered selling it to the New England Aquarium or a seafood distributor. However, Dave was concerned that profiting off of the rare lobster could impact their luck in the future.
“We decided, with the storm coming up, it’s bad luck to keep the blue lobster. In the end, we decided to throw the lobster back in the water,” Anne told the newspaper.
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