A lobster of color

This story caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First, my

husband and I are seafood fans, so between that and the fact

that I work in the food industry, food stories catch my eye.

Secondly, this story comes from New London, Connecticut, a

city I know very little about despite the fact that I was born

there. So a seafood story from my original hometown....yeah,
it's a reach, but what the heck! New London is on the Long

Island Sound, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to southern

Connecticut and the north shore of New York's Long Island.

Then, in the actual city of New London, the Sound joins up

with the Thames River. Various fishermen lay lobster traps

at the mouth of the Thames, as well as in the Sound itself.

Well, the other day brought a colorful surprise to one of these
fishermen. When pulling up one of the traps, the fisherman

discovered a 1 1/2 pound BLUE lobster....bright blue at that.

The man decided to keep it in a cooler rather than cook it; the

blue lobster was then taken to an aquarium in nearby Mystic,

Connecticut. The curator there, Catherine Ellis, stated that

only 1 in about 3 million lobsters are what they call "true blue",

meaning that their coloring is due to genetics, not their envi-

ronment. Apparently the blue lobsters produce an excessive
amount of protein due to a genetic mutation. Hey, I am sure

this crustacean could care less about his genetics and color.

After all, he was saved from a pot of hot boiling water just

so school kids and tourists visiting the aquarium could stare

at him, and maybe snap some pictures, all because of his

genetically "flawed" color....claws up for that plan!