Bayer speaks with Morning Sentinel about odd-colored lobsters
Robert Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine, spoke with the Morning Sentinel for an article about a rare orange, yellow and black calico lobster discovered in a shipment to a Skowhegan market. According to the Lobster Institute, the calico lobsters are believed to be one in 30 million. However, Bayer said there is no way to estimate accurately how many oddly colored lobsters there are without them being caught, and the statistic for calicos might need to be recalculated. “Most of the numbers you see in these odd-colored lobsters is just somebody’s best guess,” Bayer said. “Nobody really knows. This is not something that’s been studied in any detail.” He said the calico coloring is not genetic, but is the result of some otherwise harmless bacteria in the natural environment, according to the article. “Sometimes this color is related to something bacterial under the shell,” said Bayer, who also spoke with WGME (Channel 13 in Portland).