A pair of rare orange Canadian lobsters have been rescued from a wholesalers in Leicester and will now live at a nearby Sealife Centre.
Its not often lobsters make the headlines so this story in today’s national newspapers definitely caught our eye! A gentleman spotted two vary rare lobsters in a tank at his local cash-and-carry for sale – and recognised them as the rarest breed of lobsters in the world. The orange Canadian lobster is so elusive the odds of catching one are just one in 30 million!
Caterer Joseph Lee, 47, was confused by the still-alive lobsters’ orange appearance — as most turn that colour only after being cooked. Their orange colour comes from a rare genetic mutation and most fishermen have never seen one.
When he realised, Joseph persuaded a store manager to donate them to an aquarium.
Former fishmonger Joseph said: “The chances of having two are one in a billion. I couldn’t bear the thought that they would end up on someone’s plate.”
The lobsters will soon be on display at Birmingham Sea Life centre.
Julian Harvey, director of W. Harvey & Sons, said:
“What a find! Well done to Joseph for spotting them and keeping them safe for others to see. We’ve never seen them here but then its a long way from Canada to Cornwall, especially if you’re swimming!”
However, this is not the first sighting of an orange Canadian lobster on UK shores. In October 2020, the distinctive crustacean was spotted by fishmonger Steve Atkinson in a crate from Canada after it was delivered to a fishmongers in Fleetwood, Lancashire.
Mr Atkinson said it “stood out dramatically” and he contacted Sea Life Blackpool where it is now on permanent display.
Lobsters are usually a very dark brown or grey – a better colour for camouflage – but they turn bright orange when cooked, so the uncooked lobster’s colour is extremely rare.
