Catch of a Lifetime: One in a Million 'Cotton Candy' Lobster Found in Maine

Cotton candy lobsters are blue and pink lobster that has fought their way into crustacean history.

According to National Geographic, the magnificent creature was caught in Maine's Casco Bay on Friday and is so uncommon that one only appears every four to five years. In addition, according to Get Maine Lobster, just one in every 100 million lobsters possesses pastel coloration.

Rare Cotton Candy Lobster

Professional lobsterman Bill Coppersmith told Boston.com that he observed a "weird tint in the trap."

"I had no idea if it was a toy lobster or what it was," he explained.

Haddie, Coppersmith's granddaughter, will not be dipping her toes in drawn butter. After an adoption search, Get Maine Lobster found a home for the 7-year-old female mollusk at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire. But, unfortunately, her bright color may make her more exposed to predators.

In an email to HuffPost on Wednesday, Mark Murrell, the founder of the seafood firm, said, "We did have an offer from someone to acquire it, but I rejected."

Murrell was well aware that Haddie needed to be saved.

Murrell noted, "I have never seen one in person, and Billy (the lobsterman who caught her) has never caught that hue (cotton candy) before."

"She's like a jewel if you spin her in the light," Murrell told Boston.com. "It's as though you're staring at a precious jewel." Her shell is pearly, like the interior of an oyster."

According to National Geographic, cotton candy lobsters get their color from a pigment called astaxanthin coupled with specific proteins.

Someone snagged a rare blue lobster while fishing in England in April but returned it to the sea.

Lobster

The picture of a red crustacean presented on a huge dish at a fancy restaurant comes to mind when you think about lobsters. But, on the other hand, Lobsters are sophisticated marine crustaceans that belong to multiple genera and have a diverse variety of species. They may be found in vast numbers almost anywhere in the world's seas and occasionally even in freshwater.

Diversity

Although they are most commonly found on seabeds, certain species choose to live in shallower waters. There are around 80-90 species of lobsters in total, divided into more than 15 genera.

Lobsters in Maine

If you ask an outsider what Maine conjures up, they would say bone-chilling winters. Forests. Moose. A rugged shore with charming fishing settlements. Bean boots and flannel shirts. There were also lobsters-many lobsters.

Many Mainers are also thinking about these cold-water, bottom-feeding crustaceans.

Maine didn't have its regular influx of summer vacationers last year because of the epidemic, but there were plenty of lobsters. In 2021, there are signs of a resurgent tourism season, and Monique anticipates another strong year for lobsters.