Rare Blue Lobster Found Near Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- A group of Maryland watermen make a rare catch off the coast of Ocean City: a lobster that is bright blue!

Mary Bubala explains he's become an overnight sensation and is now headed for a life of fame.

It was a routine day on the water for the crew of the Pot Luck out of west Ocean City. But when the day's catch is in, it's anything but routine. A bright blue lobster was mixed in among its red and brown brothers and sisters. It's a genetic pigment mutation thought to only occur in one of every two million lobsters.

The boat's captain, John Gourley, and mate Tim Aulinskis knew they had something special. The crew of the Pot Luck brought the lobster--who they nicknamed Toby--from 100 miles off the Ocean City coast all the way back to Martin Fish Company, where he's become a celebrity overnight.

Now the cerulean crustacean is headed for the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. where the public can get a good look. The lobstermen who caught Toby lost a sale but they're happy to share their discovery with the world.

"People should see him," Aulinskis said. "They don't even know that we catch lobster here in Maryland."

Toby the lobster is still in Ocean City waiting for aquarium officials to pick him up. His new life as a celebrity starts Tuesday.

The captain who caught Toby says it's not the first blue lobster he's ever seen. He also caught one about nine years ago.