Fisherman Alex Todd had to release the lobster as it had a notched tail, indicating it was a female potentially carrying eggs, but it was caught again

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

In a lobster-fishing career spanning more than 40 years, Maine resident Alex Todd thought he had seen it all. Then, last month, he hauled in a white, almost translucent crustacean which he called “by far the weirdest one I’ve caught”.

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Todd was fishing north-east of Chebeague Island, about a five-mile haul from Portland, when he dragged in the lobster.

“I was definitely surprised,” he said, adding that he has caught lobsters that are “half red, half blue” before. This one was unique.

“It was like it was clear but with white under the clearness and a blue tint,” he said. “But you couldn’t see organs or anything under the shell, it wasn’t to that level.”

Todd had to release the lobster as it had a notched tail, indicating it was a female potentially carrying eggs. Days later, it was caught again.

“My uncle caught it,” Todd said. “We released it and last week he caught it again and re-released it so it’s still hanging around.”

Todd said he had since heard of another person who had caught the white lobster.

The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association offered an explanation for the condition of the shellfish. “This lobster probably has a genetic condition called Leucism which isn’t a total loss of pigment (which would make it an albino) but instead a partial loss,” it said on Facebook. “This is why you can still see some hints of blue on the shell and colour on the eyes.”

Todd said the story of the lobster had echoes of a situation from a decade ago. “One time there was a blue one around here,” he said. “It was a blue notched female and people kept catching it for a month or so.”

About 10 people caught the blue lobster before it vanished, he said.