top cx logo
cx logo
Explorearrow down
search icon
Explore
arrow down

Shell-shocked Breton fisherman nets blue lobster

Prize catch is one-in-two-million and will not end up in the cooking pot

A Breton fisherman has netted an extremely rare catch – a beautiful marine blue lobster.

Mickaël Gault, a 40-year-old fisherman in Saint-Quay-Portrieux, made the catch of the year last week in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, Côtes d’Armor.

"Another fisherman had seen it off Saint-Quay-Portrieux, two or three years ago,” said Mr Gault. “But he did not want to talk about it."

Despite this being a region of France famous for its seafood dishes, this unusual French find will escape the cooking pot as the restaurant that inherited it, La Cabane à Crabes in Binic, will instead put the lobster on display.

Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France

For the restaurant boss, Martial Labbé, cooking the prized catch is out of the question. "We want people to see and admire it. We are looking for an aquarium in the corner that could accommodate it," he said.

European lobsters have a slightly blueish tint but nothing like the vivid iridescence of the Brittany one and specialists at the Lobster Institute at Maine University, US, say only one lobster in two million has this beautiful colour, which is caused by a genetic anomaly causing the production of a protein.

In May 2016, two Canadian fishermen each caught blue lobsters just 150km apart off the Nova Scotia coast, while in August a fisherman from Massachusetts on America’s East Coast made such a catch last August.

Resident or second-home owner in France?
Benefit from our daily digest of headlines and how-to's to help you make the most of life in France
By joining the newsletter, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
See more popular articles
The Connexion Help Guides
featured helpguide
Visa and residency cards for France*
Featured Help Guide
- Visas and residency cards (cartes de séjour) for France help guide - Understand when visas and residency cards are required to move to France or come for an extended stay - Applies to Britons (post-Brexit) and to all other non-EU/non-EEA/Swiss nationalities - Useful to anyone considering a move to France, whether for work or otherwise, or wanting to spend more than three months at their French second home
Get news, views and information from France