Man Catches 'One in Two Million' Blue Lobster, And Throws It Back Into The Water

The crustacean’s blue shell is a result of a genetic mutation that causes the lobster to produce more of a particular protein, giving its shell a rare blue color. A fisherman from Portland, Maine, caught a very rare bright blue lobster before throwing it back into the ocean. The fisherman caught the lobster off the coast of Maine. The photo of the blue lobster was shared by tech entrepreneur Lars-Johan Larsson.

Yellow, orange and crystal-colored lobsters are considered even rarer than bright blue ones. According to Lobster Institute, yellow lobsters account for about one in 30 million of total stocks, while the chances of catching an albino or "crystal" lobster are believed to be one in 100 million. Two fishermen in Dorset caught a crystal lobster in 2011. "Whatever the odds of catching different-colored lobsters, there's no denying that bright blue ones are truly beautiful creatures," said Rob Bayer, executive director of the University of Maine Lobster Institute. "They might not be the most unusual, but they are undoubtedly the best to look at."