A strikingly light-speckled lobster was caught off Sweden's west coast last week. Initially thought to be an invasive species, it turned out to be a native European lobster with a rare genetic mutation in its shell. It now resides at Havets hus in Lysekil.
Last week, a unusual lobster was caught off Sweden's west coast. Instead of the typical dark shell, it is light-speckled, resulting from a rare genetic mutation. The fisherman reported the find to SLU, suspecting an invasive American lobster, but examinations confirmed it as a native European species.
Karolina Sandberg from Havets hus in Lysekil, where the lobster is now kept, says: "I haven't heard any reports of anything similar being caught in Sweden." Research on European lobsters' colors is limited, but for American lobsters, yellow variants are extremely rare—about one in 30 million. "So it's very unusual," Sandberg adds.
The lobster remains unnamed, but suggestions include Johnny after the fisherman who caught it, or Pricken referring to its appearance. This discovery highlights the biological diversity in Swedish waters, though such mutations are hard to predict.