Rare blue lobster found by fisherman in Plymouth Sound

  • Watch Mallory Haas from The Ship's Project on the rare find

A rare blue lobster has been found by a fisherman in Plymouth Sound.

Divers from the Ship's Project were out searching for the remains of an 18th Century shipwreck near Drake's Island on Wednesday 6 September when they were approached by the fisherman.

He showed them the bright blue crustacean and asked them to release it back into the sea.

There is just a one in two million chance of catching a lobster this colour - they are usually a mottled brown colour.

The team taped the lobster's claws temporarily in case she gave them a nip. Credit: The Ship's Project

The Ship's Project director, Mallory Haas, said the creature was beautiful: "We were really, really surprised to see a bright blue lobster, as you can imagine.

"I've seen hundreds of lobsters and they are quite brownish and they have a little bit of blue round their edges. But she was like a piece of porcelain.

"Because she was so big, she's 50 years old, she felt a little bit prehistoric. And because she was so beautiful, she comes across as extremely bright blue."

It is thought the blue lobster is about 50 years old, due to her size. Credit: The Ship's Project

It is thought the colour is caused by a genetic mutation. The blue comes from a B protein released into the animal's body due to a genetic defect, which can be caused by environmental factors.

It means that if the lobster has babies they are more likely to be blue.

Mallory Haas said: "We thought let's go put her back in an area where we know there are no divers and there are no fisherman, which is exactly what we did.

"So, thanks to the fisherman for not taking her into market. It was nice to also release something back in the wild so it can make more little baby blue lobsters."