It happens so infrequently that every report of a blue lobster causes a stir. But no matter how rare, they do exist, with scientists estimating that only one in two million lobsters is blue.

A fisherman has described the landing of a rare blue lobster in Belfast Lough, a sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland, as the catch of a lifetime: Stuart Brown (28) from Bangor told local media that he could not believe his eyes when he pulled one of his lobster traps onto the deck of his boat last week: one of the lobsters in the trap was blue. The trap was in the waters near Blackhead Lighthouse on the north shore of Belfast Lough.

The fisherman said he released the lobster back into Belfast Lough after taking some photos. “There are lobsters out there that don’t look normal; they are a bit browner or redder, just a bit different, but not as extreme,” reported Stuart, who has been a fisherman since he was eleven years old.

“I’ve never seen one, and other fishermen I’ve talked to who are much older than me said the same thing.” In any case, the blue lobster is still allowed to enjoy its freedom: “It´s still out there somewhere, swimming as happily as you can be,” said Brown, who is part-owner of a wholesale seafood company.