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BUSINESS Monday 9 SepteMber 2024
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Just how rare is a rare-colored lobster? HEALTH

Scientists say answer could be under the shell DOCTOR ON DUTY

Oranjestad
the molecular basis for rare the news lately, with an or-
shell coloration. Frederich ange lobster turning up in a Hospital 7:00 pm / 10:00pm
maintains a collection of Long Island, New York, Stop Tel. 527 4000
strange-colored lobsters & Shop last month, and an- San Nicolas
at the university’s labs and other appearing in a ship- Imsan 24 hours
has been documenting the ment being delivered to a Tel.524 8833
progress of the offspring of Red Lobster in Colorado in Women in Difficulties
an orange lobster named July. PHARMACY ON DUTY
Peaches who is housed at The odd-looking lobsters will Oranjestad:
the university. likely continue to come to Eagle : tel.587 9011
Peaches had thousands of shore because of the size of San Nicolas:
offspring this year, which is the U.S. lobster fishery, said Aloe:tel. 584 4606
typical for lobsters. About Richard Wahle, a longtime
half were orange, which is University of Maine lob- OTHER
not, Frederich said. Of the ster researcher who is now Dental Clinic 587 9850
Blue and two-toned lobsters are seen in a marine sciences lab baby lobsters that survived, retired. U.S. fishers have Blood Bank Aruba 587 0002
at the University of New England, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Bid- a slight majority were regular brought more than 90 mil- Urgent Care 586 0448
deford, Maine. colored ones, Frederich said. lion pounds (40,820 metric Walk-In Doctor’s Clinic
Associated Press Studying the DNA of atypi- tons) of lobster to the docks +297 588 0539
Women in Difficulties
cally colored lobsters will in every year since 2009 after EMERGENCY
By PATRICK WHITTLE normalities due to mutation give scientists a better un- only previously reaching that
Associated Press of genes that affect the pro- derstanding of their underly- volume twice, according to Police 100
Oranjestad
527 3140
BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — teins that bind to their shell ing genetics, Frederich said. federal records that go back Noord 527 3200
Orange, blue, calico, two- pigments, Goode said. “Lobsters are those iconic to 1950. Sta. Cruz 527 2900
toned and ... cotton-candy The best available estimates animals here in Maine, and “In an annual catch consist- San Nicolas 584 5000
colored? about lobster coloration ab- I find them beautiful. Espe- ing of hundreds of millions of Police Tipline 11141
Those are all the hues of normalities are based on cially when you see those lobster, it shouldn’t be sur- Ambulancia 911
lobsters that have showed data from fisheries sources, rare ones, which are just prising that we see a few of Fire Dept. 115
582 2219
Red Cross
up in fishers’ traps, super- said marine sciences profes- looking spectacular. And the weird ones every year,
market seafood tanks and sor Markus Frederich of the then the scientist in me even if they are 1 in a mil- TAXI SERVICES
scientists’ laboratories over University of New England simply says I want to know lion or 1 in 30 million,” Wahle Taxi Tas 587 5900
the last year. The funky-col- in Maine. However, he said, how that works. What’s the said.q Prof. Taxi 588 0035
ored crustaceans inspire “no one really tracks them.” mechanism?” Frederich said. Taxi D.T.S. 587 2300
headlines that trumpet their Frederich and other scientists He does eat lobster but Taxi Serv. Aruba 583 3232
A1 Taxi Serv.
280 2828
rarity, with particularly un- said that commonly cited es- “never any of those color-
common baby blue-tinted timates such as 1 in 1 million ful ones,” he said. Women in Difficulties
critters described by some for blue lobsters and 1 in 30 One of Frederich’s lobsters, TRAVEL INFO
as “cotton-candy colored” million for orange lobsters Tamarind, is the typical color Aruba Airport 524 2424
often estimated at 1 in 100 should not be treated as on one side and orange on American Airlines 582 2700
million. rock-solid figures. However, the other. That is because Avianca 588 0059
A recent wave of these he and his students are work- two lobster eggs fused and Jet Blue 588 2244
Women in Difficulties
curious colored lobsters in ing to change that. grew as one animal, Fred- Surinam 582 7896
Maine, New York, Colorado Frederich is working on non- erich said. He said that’s AID FOUNDATIONS
and beyond has scientists invasive ways to extract ge- thought to be as rare as 1 Aruba Food Bank
asking just how atypical the netic samples from lobsters in 50 million. Tel. 588 0002
discolored arthropods really to try to better understand Rare lobsters have been in FAVI- Visually Impaired
are. As is often the case in Tel. 582 5051
science, it’s complicated. Alcoholics Anonymous
Tel. 736 2952
Lobsters’ color can vary due Narcotics Anonymous
to genetic and dietary differ- Tel. 583 8989
ences, and estimates about Fundacion Contra Violencia
how rare certain colors are Relacional Tel. 583 5400
should be taken with a grain Centre for Diabetes
of salt, said Andrew Goode, Tel. 524 8888
lead administrative scientist Child Abuse Prevention
Tel. 582 4433
for the American Lobster
Settlement Index at the Quota Club Tel. 525 2672
Women in Difficulties
University of Maine. There General Info
is also no definitive source Phone Directory Tel. 118
on the occurrence of lob-
ster coloration abnormalities,
scientists said.
“Anecdotally, they don’t
taste any different either,”
Goode said.
In the wild, lobsters typically
have a mottled brown ap-
pearance, and they turn
an orange-red color after
they are boiled for eating.
Lobsters can have color ab- facebook.com/arubatoday/