An extremely rare shellfish has made its way to a Pinellas County seafood market and needs a new home.
The 2 1/2-pound orange lobster was accidentally shipped to Save On Seafood in Gulfport, and store manager Rich Crepeau doesn't want to send her out for dinner.
Crepeau has become so attached he's given her the name Shelly.
"She’s bright orange, like a cooked lobster is, where the other lobsters are dark brown to a maroon color," he said. "We were very surprised because we've never seen one before."
The tank Shelly has been kept in since arriving in a regular shipment from Maine three weeks ago is too small. She needs a bigger aquarium with flowing water that's kept between 38 and 40 degrees. So far, Crepeau hasn't been able to find any takers.
No, this lobster hasn't been cooked already. "Shelly" is a rare orange variation. She arrived at Save on Seafood in Gulfport with a regular shipment, and now the store manager is trying to find a marine entity who will keep her. (Photo: Melissa Eichman, staff)
Shelly has her own personality, and she doesn't make friends easily.
"She does seem a little bit more aggressive than the other ones," Crepeau said. "When we put other lobsters in the tank with her, she seems to push them a little bit more than the other ones do."
USF College of Marine Science professor Steven Murawski said Shelly's color morph is due to a genetic anomaly.
"They're extremely rare," he said. "They're about one in one-in-10, one-in-30-million," he said.
Have a big tank with perfectly cold, flowing water? Call Save on Seafood at 727-323-0155.
"It needs to be put in a bigger tank - somwwhere where it will eat," Crepeau said. "Most of the lobsters that are in captivity like that won't eat, so tthen they're not going to survive too long."