Imagine going out for a long day of fishing and coming back with a prize that astounds anglers all around the country. On August 11, 2022, Mark Rand and his son Luke successfully captured a rare, vivid blue lobster off the coast of Maine.
The crab was given the name “Lucky Bluey” by the father and son, who have at least 60 years of combined fishing experience, and was housed in a tank at Becky’s Dinner in Portland, a well-known eatery run by Luke’s mother, before being released back into the wild a week later. Over the years, Mark and Luke have caught a lot of fish, but none as uncommon as this—blue lobsters are only found one in every two million times, according to the New England Aquarium.
- Rare blue lobsters exist. The chances of catching a blue lobster are estimated by the New England Aquarium to be one in 2 million.
- The golden lobster and the albino or crystal lobster are two of the most uncommon lobster species.
- A blue lobster really has little market worth; the majority of them are donated to aquariums despite occasionally appearing on menus for $500 or more.
The rarity of blue lobsters
The majority of lobsters captured off the North American Atlantic coast are an unappealing greeny-brown color. They turn orangey-pink when boiling. According to fishing tradition, Mark and Luke Rand, like the few previous blue lobster catchers before them, were destined for success.
How likely are you to catch a blue lobster for dinner, and how rare are they really? The University of Maine Lobster Institute claims that a genetic flaw results in an overabundance of a certain protein, which gives blue fish their color. Research director Dr. Robert Bayer acknowledges that the university’s claim that there is just one blue lobster for every two million people is only a conjecture. He claimed that “nobody truly understands the probability of this happening.”
The iridescent blue color of blue lobsters is brought on by an excess of a certain protein resulting from a genetic flaw.
Even some experts claim that finding blue lobsters is not that difficult. According to the common one in 2 million ratio, David Spiegelhalter, a British statistician, estimates that approximately 200 million lobsters are taken in the North Atlantic each year, or 100 blue lobsters on average.
That might help to explain instances in which blue lobsters have been caught in fast succession, such as in 2016, when two fisherman reeled in two of these lobsters off the coast of Nova Scotia over the space of a few days.
European blue lobsters are a duller color, thus Charlie Ellis of the UK National Lobster Hatchery in Cornwall thinks the iridescent blue seen in North American species is even more prevalent. He claimed that the likelihood of finding a vivid blue lobster was as low as one in a few hundred thousand.
Various Exotic Lobsters
Most people concur that, despite being uncommon, blue lobsters are not the rarest kind of lobster. According to estimates from the Lobster Institute, there are about one in 30 million yellow lobsters.
White lobsters, commonly referred to as albinos or “crystal” lobsters, are considered to be even more difficult to locate. Researchers estimate that the likelihood of finding one of these is one in 100 million.
There are further exotic lobsters. For instance, it is thought that there are one in 30 million golden lobsters and one in 100 million albino or crystal lobsters.
What Are the Prices of Blue Lobsters?
Blue lobsters are delicious and safe to eat. The value of blue lobsters is disputed; they have been listed on eBay for as much as $500, but the listing received not a single bid.
The blue lobster and wagyu meal from the restaurant Per Se cost $560 at the time. You might be able to get a pair of extremely rare Nike “Blue Lobster” sneakers for the same price as two blue lobster dinners for two, which ranges from $600 to $10,000.
What Makes a Blue Lobster Special?
Due to their scarcity and aesthetic appeal, blue lobsters are unique. About one in every two million lobsters, according to the New England Aquarium, are blue, making them rare and the fishermen who catch them famous.
What Are the Flavors of Blue Lobsters?
It’s doubtful that a lobster’s color will affect how it tastes. It’s highly likely that a blue one would cook to a red color and retain its original flavor.
Which Lobster Color Is the Rarest?
Even though blue lobsters are difficult to locate, they are not thought to be the rarest. This distinction belongs to the white lobster, which has a one in 100 million chance of being spotted, according to specialists.
The conclusion
A blue lobster has a difficult time being valued in money. They are typically released back into the water after being caught, making them extra rarer and deserving of a greater price.
They are listed on the menus of certain restaurants for hundreds of dollars. Even though they probably won’t taste all that different from regular lobsters, I suppose there are folks out there who are willing to pay to claim they’ve eaten this unusual variety. This kind of lobster is also probably going to have a collectors market someplace, with prices that change according on the supply and demand dynamics at any particular time.
