The vast majority of lobsters caught in the wild display a mottled coloration of greenish-brown or bluish-green, which provides excellent camouflage against the rocky ocean floor. This subdued coloring is the standard for survival, making the appearance of any brightly colored lobster a startling anomaly. The yellow lobster is perhaps the most striking of these rare variants. Its brilliant hue highlights the surprising genetic diversity hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.
The Specific Odds of Encountering One
The odds of a fisherman hauling a yellow lobster out of the water are estimated to be approximately one in 30 million. This calculation is based on the frequency of the underlying genetic mutation required to produce the color. To put this into perspective, the more commonly known blue lobster is found at a rate of about one in every two million. Finding a yellow specimen is therefore 15 times less likely than finding a blue one.
The yellow lobster shares this scarcity with the calico lobster, which displays an irregular pattern of orange, black, and yellow, also estimated at one in 30 million. This places the yellow variant among the rarest color anomalies, surpassed only by the pure white, or albino, lobster, which is estimated to appear in only one out of every 100 million lobsters. Encountering a yellow lobster quickly garners attention from both the fishing community and the scientific world.
The Genetic Explanation for the Yellow Color
The standard coloring of a lobster is dictated by the complex interaction between a carotenoid pigment and a specific protein in its shell. The pigment involved is astaxanthin, which the lobster must obtain through its diet of plankton and algae; astaxanthin is naturally red or orange. In a typical greenish-brown lobster, this astaxanthin is bound to a large protein called crustacyanin. The binding process alters the pigment’s light-absorbing properties, shifting the color to dark blue or greenish-brown.
The intense yellow coloration arises from a rare genetic mutation that interferes with this binding process. This mutation often causes a significant reduction or complete absence of the crustacyanin protein. Without enough crustacyanin to bind the astaxanthin, the pigment remains in its free, unbound state within the shell. The color of unbound astaxanthin is a brilliant yellow or orange-red, which is then visibly expressed on the lobster’s carapace. This is also why all lobsters turn red when cooked, as heat breaks down the crustacyanin protein, releasing the red astaxanthin pigment.
What Happens When a Yellow Lobster is Caught
When a fisherman discovers a yellow lobster, the creature is almost always spared from the commercial market. These rare catches are recognized for their scientific and educational value. The lobsters are routinely donated to aquariums, marine science centers, or research institutions. These facilities offer a protected environment where the unique animal can live out its life.
The yellow lobster serves as an educational tool for the public, helping to illustrate the principles of genetics and marine biology. Scientists also study these specimens to better understand the rare mutation that caused the color deviation. Donating these creatures ensures that a number of these striking lobsters continue to live on display instead of being sold.