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Nova Scotia lobster fisherman Sheldon Trenholm, his sister and his cousin wrangled themselves a small, vibrant lobster off the coast of Monks Head, N.S., in the early morning hours of June 7.

When Mr. Trenholm first lifted the lobster trap into the boat with eight or so lobsters inside it took a moment before he saw the misplaced colours of bright blue.

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“At first I couldn’t figure out what was in there, it was like a blue flashlight flashing on and off.”

It was like a blue flashlight flashing on and off

He took the blue lobster out of the trap for a few photos and showed it off to other boaters before throwing it back in the water. While Mr. Trenholm is not the first to trap a blue crustacean, his was a one in two million catch.

According to the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, the rare blue shells are the result of a genetic defect, which causes the lobster to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein that gives the lobsters the exceptional colours.

In cases even more rare red lobsters are caught, as lobsters generally found on the East Coast are “dark bluish green to greenish brown,” and turn red only after they’ve been boiled.

Check out these other rare lobster catches: