Essex fisherman hauls in blue lobster off the coast
- Gary Ely discovered the specimen in his nets off Mersea Island in EssexÂ
- He kept it in a restaurant tank over the weekend before taking it to the Southend Sealife Centre where it will be kept in quarantine for 30 days
- It is estimated that one in two million lobsters are blue due to a genetic mutation causing the creature to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein
A fisherman has hauled in a rare bright blue lobster.
Gary Ely discovered the one in two million chance specimen in his nets when he hauled them in off Mersea Island in Essex.
He thought the catch was too good for the dinner plate so kept it in a restaurant tank over the weekend and asked his daughter Stacey to find it a new home.
Gary Ely discovered the one in two million chance specimen in his nets when he hauled them in off Mersea Island in Essex
Stacey, who runs boat trips in the family business, has now presented it to a Sea Life Centre in Southend who plan to put it on display after a 30-day quarantine period.
It is estimated that one in two million lobsters are blue due to a genetic mutation causing the creature to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein.
The protein and a red carotenoid molecule known as astaxanthin combine to form a blue complex known as crustacyanin, giving the lobster its blue color.
Stacey said: ‘I hadn’t realised just how blue the lobster was until I saw it against the other lobsters dad had caught.
It is estimated that one in two million lobsters are blue due to a genetic mutation causing the creature to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein (file photo)
‘It was spectacular. It was a hot weekend and desperate to keep the lobster â€" we have called it Loui - alive over the weekend.
‘Dad left him in safe hands at the Company Shed fish restaurant where they kept him alive in their holding tanks with all the other lobsters.
‘Luckily no one boiled him up or ate him. I did some investigations first thing Monday morning and soon found Loui a home.
‘Tuesday morning dad took Loui over to the Southend Sealife Centre where they will now keep him in quarantine for 30 days before he can be released into the tanks with the rest of the salt water animals.
‘They must k eep him in quarantine to ensure he doesn’t carry any diseases that could spread to the other shellfish or fish in the tanks.
‘Loui should be out of quarantine by 7th August and waiting to show off his pretty blue shell in his new tank.’ Â
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