Third rare lobster finds home in Mayo aquarium

THE aquarium at the Achill Experience has welcomed an unprecedented third rare lobster in as many weeks, writes Shane McNamara.

A one in one million white lobster was caught by local fisherman Charlie O’Malley earlier this month and it was joined shortly after by an orange lobster, which is estimated at one in 30 million.

This week sees a rare blue crustacean finding its home in Achill after it was found in Sligo - this particular colour being one in two million in its rarity.

CEO of Comhlacht Forbarthha Aitiúil Acla, Terence Dever, who manages the Achill Experience, feels that the addition of these rare lobsters has several benefits to both the aquarium and the local community.

“There is huge interest in these new additions and they will draw tourists here to the aquarium and to our island,” said Mr. Dever. He also believes that the educational value of the rare lobsters will be hugely beneficial.

“Children’s minds run wild with the sea and what lives in the sea. When they come here and have our team explain to them about the different species that live in the sea they are amazed.

“These lobsters and how rare they are provides a great example of the varieties of life in our waters. I believe we cannot overestimate the benefits academically that these finds will have for a child’s imagination.”

“What makes a blue lobster blue is a substance called Astaxanthin which is a carotid pigment,” says aquarist at the Achill Experience, Tom Honeyman, who cites the colour changes in the lobsters as rare genetic disorders.

Tom relays that the white lobster is unable to absorb this pigment which leaves its colour this way.

He also believes that the orange lobster’s colour is provided by too much of this carotid pigment.

The lobsters are all currently on display, among many other exhibits, at the aquarium in the Achill Experience.

For more information, contact the Achill Experience on (098) 43292 or check out www.achillexperience.ie.