It is unusual to compare cotton candy to crustaceans. However, it is rare – indeed extremely rare – to catch this type of lobster in the sea.
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Specifically, the odds are one in a million.
Haddie, a lobster the color of cotton candy, was caught in Maine this week. Unlike the regular brown lobster, the Haddie has blue and pink hues that shine on its shell.
Bill Coppersmith, a Maine lobster boater and supplier to Get Maine Lobster, wrestled with the creature in Casco Bay.
The kettle maker is no stranger to catching unique lobsters. He once hunted orange and white lobsters and, like Hady, gave them the same names as his grandchildren.
Get Maine Lobster president Kirk Morrell said Haddie’s particular coloration is caused by a genetic mutation.
According to Chris Cash, Associate Director of Communication and Communication at the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute in Orono, proteins that bind to the primary carotenoid pigment give lobsters their brown-green color.
Overexpression of the protein results in a bluish colour, which is the main color of Haddie.
Humans may be fascinated by pastel colors, but it is a danger to lobsters in the wild.
According to the Maine Lobster Community Alliance, crustaceans with unique colors have difficulty integrating into their natural surroundings, making them easy to spot for marine predators.
Fortunately, Haddie is now safe from predators and humans in the ocean.
The special lobsters have been certified and will be transported to the Sea Coast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire.
“It was about finding the best place for her to live out the rest of her life in safety. The Marine Coast Science Center can provide exactly that,” Morrell told.
Lobsters can live for a long time in captivity as long as the water is clean and well-oxygenated, according to Cash, and provided the animal can get enough food and shelter.
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