South Shore fishermen share blue lobster tale

Here in New England, we’re a fishing people, and nothing epitomizes that more than the sight of lobsters coming up in the traps set by so many big and small fishing outfits.

One of those outfits is the father/son combo of Wayne and Mike Marshall out of the village Brant Rock, which opens up into Cape Cod Bay from Marshfield.

Wayne and Mike were pulling traps on Thursday when they caught glimpse of something very special — a rare blue lobster.

“I have heard of blue lobsters but never caught one. It was quite a surprise to see it,” Wayne said.

Close-up on the single-clawed blue lobster. (Media credit/Courtesy of Wayne Marshall)

A protein mutation in one in every 2 million lobsters turns them blue. (Media credit/Courtesy of Wayne Marshall)

Wayne Marshall holding his catch (Media credit/Courtesy of Wayne Marshall)

As you can see above, the lobster only has one claw, which is not too uncommon. But it’s color is. One one in every two million lobsters is blue. The coloring is caused by a genetic mutation that makes the lobster produce an excessive amount of a certain protein.

There are other rare colored lobsters out there. On August 1, 2006, a Maine lobsterman caught a yellow lobster near the mouth of the Kennebec River. The odds of finding a yellow one are about 1 in 30 million. Also in 2006, another Maine fisherman caught a half and half lobster — with two colors perfectly covering the halves of the lobster’s shell. The odds of finding one of those are one in 50 million.

Wayne said he’s been fishing out of Brant Rock for more than 30 years, mostly catching lobsters. Him and his son operate the 30-foot wooden, Maine-built lobster boat “The Necessity.” They usually haul traps four times a week and sell the catch on the pier.

A couple years ago, the Marshalls caught a rare half yellow lobster.

Their blue lobster is currently being held at the Brand Rock Fish Market, but don’t worry, it’s not destined to become a meal. The Marshalls are looking for a home for it and will be contacting the New England Acquarium this week.

Wayne and Mike also run a t-shirt printing business called Brant Rock Ink, where they print up themed t-shirts for the local fishermen and some fire departments.