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A very rare blue lobster has been discovered by a fish wholesaler in Co Meath.
The lobster, which has been named Betty Blue, was discovered in a fresh fish delivery at wholesaler Nick's Fish in Ashbourne in Co Meath.
The staff were stunned to find the one-in-two-million creature in a shipping container. It is believed to be one of only a handful of blue lobsters ever found in the Irish sea.
The wholesaler notified the Irish Sea Fisheries Protection Authorities in Salterstown, Co Louth and is due to be released back into the waters.
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Staff were still reeling from the find when they took delivery of 60 lobsters which were landed off the coast of Co Wicklow.
“The driver of the van commented that one was an unusual colour but I thought nothing of it,” said Niall Murray of Nick’s Fish.
“I saw the blue lobster and couldn’t believe it. I think the odds of seeing one is one in two million but they increase to one in five for catching one.”
It’s thought that some lobsters have bright blue colouring as a result of a genetic mutation that causes the lobster to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein.
‘Betty Blue’ has been staying with Nick’s Fish for the last week but is due to go back into the waters on Wednesday
“It something many will wait a lifetime for. We will now take a tiny nick off Betty’s tail before we release her to warn other fishermen not to land her and leave her alone in the sea. There are heavy fines for landing a V-notch lobster.”