Calico Lobster caught off Maine coast
That’s the third rarest lobster, people!
In a summer of rare crustaceon appearances, a market owner in Maine has beaten the odds, and come into possession of a calico lobster.
Chris Foster is the owner of 201 Market in Skowhegan, selling seafood, cheese, and wine. “I’ve been buying lobster from a wholeseller called Oceanland Lobster for a long time, usually about 1,000 pounds this time of year,’’ Foster told Boston.com, “but this time when [the supplier] came in he said ‘I’ve got a surprise for you’ and pulled out this calico lobster he found in one of the crates.’’
The odds of catching a calico lobster is one in 30 million, according to the University of Maine Lobster Institute’s site. Those lobster odds are only bested by the chance of catching a half brown-half yellow lobster (one in 50 million), or the rarest of all, an albino lobster (one in 100 million).
However, fishermen are pulling more and more of these rare sea bugs out of the water. A quick google search will show almost monthly news of a rare kind of lobster being caught. Foster thinks this has something to do with Maine’s lobster catch.
“Maine’s lobster catch is huge, so that just increases the odds. Which also says something for the state of Maine and how they handle their catch, in terms of not overfishing, and following the rules for how you should throw certain lobsters back.’’
The lobster is now on display in a live tank Foster has in his store.
“Last year a calico lobster was found off Winter Harbor and made it onto Fox News. I figured if it was good enough for national news, it was good enough to be displayed in a tank,’’ he says of his decision to show it off.
“If I had to guess,’’ he says, “I’ve had probably 100 people come by the market to see it, and take pictures on their phones… It’s the first calico lobster they’ve ever seen, and probably the last.’’
Foster insists it’s not for sale, and says “what somebody is willing to pay for a calico lobster is anybody’s guess, but I’m definitely donating it.’’
When Foster is ready, the lobster has a permenant home waiting at the Maine State Aquarium, instead of being put on a roll.
“I’m sure at some point somebody ate a calico lobster and just thought it was a funny looking lobster,’’ he says. However rare it may be, “I’m sure it tasted just like any other.’’
Check out our guide to the rarest lobsters!
[bdc-gallery bgmp-legacy-id=”92e595aa-32e7-11e5-acab-b29326c19122″ id=””]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com