New York, September 2025 – A rare bright orange lobster, described as a “one-in-30 million” find, has been safely returned to the ocean after being spotted in the seafood section of a grocery store in upstate New York.
The Discovery
Shopper Kyle Brancato noticed the unusual lobster while passing by the seafood tank at a Tops supermarket. Unlike the dark-shelled lobsters around it, this one’s vivid orange shell stood out.
“I walked by the lobster tank, and I saw this bright orange lobster. Very different from all the other ones in the tank,” Brancato told local media.
Initially, some customers mistook the lobster as diseased and ignored it. But Brancato purchased it, determined to save it.
The Rescue
Unsure how to care for the lobster, Brancato improvised:
- Collected tank water from a nearby restaurant to keep it alive.
- Bought a 20-gallon tank and seawater from a local pet supply store.
- Adjusted the water to the right temperature before safely housing the lobster.
Wildlife group Humane Long Island and the New York Aquarium later stepped in, confirming its rarity and assisting in the release.
Back to the Ocean
The lobster, nicknamed “Jean-Clawed Van Damme,” was released into the Long Island Sound on Wednesday — just a day before National Lobster Day, which coincides with peak U.S. lobster harvesting season.
Not the First Case
This isn’t the first time such a rare crustacean was rescued:
- In 2021, a Canadian couple saved an orange lobster from a grocery store tank in Ontario, where it had been bullied by other lobsters. That lobster was later sent to an aquarium.
Conclusion
While thousands of lobsters make their way to dinner plates each season, this extraordinary orange lobster got a second chance at life — swimming free in the waters off New York.
