  Blue Lobster Found Off Long Island -8/18/00-c. The Associated Press BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -
Forgive Larry Fernandes if his newest pet goes it alone. The commercial fisherman recently hauled a rare blue lobster out of the Long Island Sound, the second one he's harvested in the past 10 years. His first such find had it made for a while. Fernandes built a special tank for it, fed it a regal diet of protein-rich minnows and then introduced a second lobster for company. The problem: Lobsters are cannibals. His rare catch became the tankmate's blue-plate special. ``When I got over to the tank, all that was there was the top part of him,'' Fernandes says. ``I guess it's true: Even lobsters prefer the tails.'' The new pet will remain solo, Fernandes said. The blue hue is caused by genetics, said John Volk, director of the state's bureau of aquaculture. Chances are Fernandes' catch has some blue brothers and sisters crawling around the Sound floor, Volk said. ``Generally, once a year somebody encounters some unusual colors,'' he said. ``We've seen other lobsters that come up yellow.'' He recalled one lobsterman trapped a yellow-orange lobster the week of Halloween. ``We thought that was pretty appropriate,'' said Volk. Diet also can influence color, but Volk said that usually occurs under controlled laboratory conditions and is only a temporary effect. He estimates the chances of a blue lobster birth is little under one in a million. The novelty aside, Volk said the blue ones don't taste any differently. And in the end, there's just one color that matters to lobster lovers. ``I think everybody is pretty happy throwing the green lobster in the pot and having it come up orange,'' said Volk. The animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, sent Fernandes a letter Friday asking him to put the lobster back in the ocean. ``We hope that you will not condemn him to a sad, lonely life in a viewing tank,'' they wrote. AP-NY-08-18-00 2044EDT Copyright 2000
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