'One in 100 million' albino lobster caught off coast of Guernsey

An albino lobster caught off the coast of Guernsey
It was caught by a fisherman and put back into the sea due to the rare nature of the crustacean. Credit: ITV Channel TV

An extremely rare albino lobster has been caught off the coast of Guernsey and put back into the sea.

The crustacean, whose pigmentation is so rare that only one in 100 million lobsters have the same colouring, was caught by local fisherman Simon French.

The lobster's unique colouring is due to a lack of pigmentation, causing the white appearance.

Lobster shells are very similar to human skin meaning their pigment can give them varying shades. Most commonly, lobsters are green or yellow before being cooked.

As well as the rare albino lobsters, blue lobsters are the result of a genetic variation which are extremely rare to find.

This albino lobster was released back into the sea off the coast of Guernsey.

Bernie Le Gallais, a local fisherman, said: "this is the third unique lobster I have released.

Louisa and Axel releasing the albino lobster back into the wild. Credit: ITV Channel Television

"Personally, I love to put these special, unique crustaceans back. I had an albino spider crab 10 years ago which I took to the aquarium.

"Hopefully, the next person to catch this lobster will also do the same as we did."

This lobster was put back into the sea for the next fisherman to catch the crustacean meaning more people can observe the rare, albino lobster.