A Rare Orange Lobster
A rare orange lobster at Fresh Catch Seafood Store in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
This is a live lobster and it is NOT cooked.
Info:
MANSFIELD - The lobster tank at Fresh Catch was drawing more than the usual visitors Tuesday as word of the unique orange-colored crustacean spread.
Company President Bill Sarro said he spent much of the day fielding calls, even from a couple from New York, about the store's discovery Saturday of a rare orange lobster in a crate from Maine otherwise full of the normal greenish-blue lobsters.
"I haven't had time to think" about where the lobster might eventually call home, he said.
For now, the 1 1/2 pound male will remain in the store's tank.
"We're going to keep it here and let people see it," Sarro said Tuesday. "It's great for business, great for the community, great for everyone."
The cause celebre is that the lobster is likely a 1-in-10 million find, according to marine experts.
Sarro said he received a call from the New England Aquarium Tuesday, "and they were very interested in it."
"He said he has never seen a lobster that bright of an orange," Sarro said of the caller.
Aquarium spokesman Tony LaCasse said Tuesday that the aquarium already has a number of orange-colored lobsters on display and behind the exhibit scenes, along with a rarer calico (a 1-in-30-million find) and the slightly less rare blue lobster (a 1-in-2-million find).
The different colors are attributed to genetic disorders. He said a cluster of orange lobsters came out of the Cape and New Brunswick last year.
"We probably see about 10 orange lobsters a year," through what LaCasse called "all points in the supply chain," from lobstermen to boat operators and retailers.
He said several 100 million lobsters are landed every year in New England. Some are imported from Canada, as well as Maine.
LaCasse said there has been no concern that finding the different colored lobsters are indicators that something may be wrong with the environment.
The increase in visibility in the different hued lobsters is two-fold, he said. Some reproductive females with those genetic traits are creating others, and when there is media attention about a rare find, it may cause those who deal with lobsters to be more vigilant in spotting those differences.
It's also the season for lobster. More are being caught just in time for the summer tourism industry where many visitors to the coast crave the local fare and associate it with their vacation experience, LaCasse said.
In the meantime, the bright orange lobster in residence at the Mansfield store could serve as a teaching tool for children coming in with parents, as well as a boost for business for Fresh Catch, he said.
A Rare Orange Lobster
A rare orange lobster at Fresh Catch Seafood Store in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
This is a live lobster and it is NOT cooked.
Info:
MANSFIELD - The lobster tank at Fresh Catch was drawing more than the usual visitors Tuesday as word of the unique orange-colored crustacean spread.
Company President Bill Sarro said he spent much of the day fielding calls, even from a couple from New York, about the store's discovery Saturday of a rare orange lobster in a crate from Maine otherwise full of the normal greenish-blue lobsters.
"I haven't had time to think" about where the lobster might eventually call home, he said.
For now, the 1 1/2 pound male will remain in the store's tank.
"We're going to keep it here and let people see it," Sarro said Tuesday. "It's great for business, great for the community, great for everyone."
The cause celebre is that the lobster is likely a 1-in-10 million find, according to marine experts.
Sarro said he received a call from the New England Aquarium Tuesday, "and they were very interested in it."
"He said he has never seen a lobster that bright of an orange," Sarro said of the caller.
Aquarium spokesman Tony LaCasse said Tuesday that the aquarium already has a number of orange-colored lobsters on display and behind the exhibit scenes, along with a rarer calico (a 1-in-30-million find) and the slightly less rare blue lobster (a 1-in-2-million find).
The different colors are attributed to genetic disorders. He said a cluster of orange lobsters came out of the Cape and New Brunswick last year.
"We probably see about 10 orange lobsters a year," through what LaCasse called "all points in the supply chain," from lobstermen to boat operators and retailers.
He said several 100 million lobsters are landed every year in New England. Some are imported from Canada, as well as Maine.
LaCasse said there has been no concern that finding the different colored lobsters are indicators that something may be wrong with the environment.
The increase in visibility in the different hued lobsters is two-fold, he said. Some reproductive females with those genetic traits are creating others, and when there is media attention about a rare find, it may cause those who deal with lobsters to be more vigilant in spotting those differences.
It's also the season for lobster. More are being caught just in time for the summer tourism industry where many visitors to the coast crave the local fare and associate it with their vacation experience, LaCasse said.
In the meantime, the bright orange lobster in residence at the Mansfield store could serve as a teaching tool for children coming in with parents, as well as a boost for business for Fresh Catch, he said.