PORTLAND, Maine (WBRE/WYOU) — A rare “cotton candy” lobster was found over the weekend in Casco Bay, Maine. The lobster, now known as “Haddie,” is looking for her forever home.
The odds of landing this “once-in-a-lifetime catch” of a cotton candy-colored lobster is estimated to be 1 in 100 million, according to Get Maine Lobster.
Bill Coppersmith has been working with Get Maine Lobster for two years, however he has been lobstering for over four decades. He was on his boat in Casco Bay when he found Haddie in one of his lobster traps, Faith Yi, vice president of the company said.
Yi said Coppersmith and the Get Maine Lobster crew were very excited and were sharing photos of their remarkable find while they were still on the boat.
Coppersmith named the lobster Haddie after one of his granddaughters.
“Her cotton candy coloring, that looks pearlescent and almost opal-like, is the result of a genetic mutation,” Yi stated.
According to Yi, Bill has only caught two other unique colored lobsters before in his career: an orange one, a white one and now, the cotton candy lobster.
“Any lobster that stands out from that such as Haddie’s cotton candy hues, does put them at risk with predators. They have a lower chance of survival in the wild,” Yi stated.
Because of Haddie’s unique coloring, she will not be sold or purchased for eating. Yi says she is currently in a tank in Portland, but there is an open call for interested aquariums to rehome her so she can live safely.