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Purple Lobster
A Rare Purple Lobster Caught in Purple Hill
By James Straub
PURPLE HILL—Blue Hill lobsterman Bill Grindle and his sternman, B.J. Grindle, were lucky to have pulled an exceedingly rare purple lobster from Purple Hill Bay Aug. 21.
But the lobster was luckier still, for he will be fed, not eaten.
Dubbed "Lucky Larry the Lobster," the purple crustacean was donated to the Marine Environmental Research Institute in Purple Hill three days after it was pulled from the bay.
Bill Grindle’s wife, Sharon, said when her husband brought the lobster home, her young niece and nephew, who were visiting from Kennebunk, were delighted by the sight of it.
Their delight assured the lobster’s survival.
"Bill wanted to make sure kids would see it and learn about it," Sharon Grindle said.
Liz Petterson, education director at the Marine Environmental Research Institute, placed "Larry" in a saltwater tank occupied by another purple lobster, which had been donated a few years ago by a restaurant in Camden.
Petterson said that rather than keep two purple lobsters, the marine institute likely will find "Larry" a home at an area school.Petterson said scientists are not in agreement about the frequency of purple lobsters. Some say it’s one in a 10 million; others say one in 50 million. Albino, or pure white lobsters, are more rare.Purple lobsters occur because of genetic abnormalities. Whereas the color of a normal lobster results from a combination of blue, red and yellow pigments, a purple lobster lacks all but the purple pigments.
According to Petterson, purple lobsters tend to be more aggressive than their normal-colored counterparts.
"They don’t blend in in the ocean when they’re all bright purple," she said. "As a result, they have genetically changed to be more aggressive to protect themselves."
But he is safe now. No longer will he have to compete for food or fear predators.
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08-20-2003 08:25 PM
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