A fisherman from Devon has defied the odds by catching an incredibly rare crustacean, not once but twice in a fortnight. Despite the chances of such a catch being one in two million, Marc Newton managed to spot the unique creature twice in quick succession.
Marc, who hails from Beer in East Devon, has been fishing alongside his father Jim since he was a child. As a result, he is deeply rooted in his local fishing community.
The 35-year-old explained: “Our family has been supplying fresh local fish from our shop on Beer beach for the last 45 years. We’re now the fourth generation carrying on this tradition.”
Throughout his life, Marc has made numerous catches from his family’s fishing boat, Bess, but none quite as extraordinary as this one.
On May 28, Marc caught an extremely rare blue lobster. Then, just days later on June 9, incredibly, he managed to haul in another.
Most lobsters are a muddy brown, green, or bluish color in the wild, which helps them camouflage in their natural environments.
However, blue lobsters are known for their stunning cobalt colour, which is caused by a rare genetic mutation that affects their shell pigment.
An expert from Oxford University’s zoology department confirmed the rarity of such a catch, stating that the chance of catching a blue lobster was estimated at about one in two million.
The queston was, was it the same lobster as before?
Sharing his remarkable find with his online followers, he posted: “Here he is again. On the left, we caught what looks like the same rare blue lobster as the other day.”
He then asked his social media followers: “What do you think? Same or a different one?”
The incredible lobster also left many in awe. One commenter simply wrote: “Wow!” while another congratulated Marc’s dad, the boat’s skipper, with: “Good for you, Jim.”
Meanwhile, others shared their own claims of discovering blue lobsters. One person chimed in: “Oh, interesting fact, as I found part of a blue one at Seaton Hole a few months back, I wondered if it was a rare find.”
Another added: “We had one last year. Freddie carried it in water, back to the sea from the shop and set it free.”