Despite scientists estimating that the find has a one in two million chance, a veteran fisherman dumped the ultra-rare, completely blue crustacean back into the ocean.

A fisherman was left stunned after pulling an incredibly rare blue lobster out of the ocean.

Stuart Brown, 28, from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, said the capture was “a surprise to everyone”.

The remarkable creature was found near Blackhead Lighthouse after being brought to the surface in a pot on the lake’s northern shore.

However, the lobster was too small to keep, so he was forced to return it to the water after taking the photos.

He said: “He’s still somewhere in the lake, swimming around as happily as he can. Hopefully, if someone else catches him, they’ll bring him back too.”

At the time of capture, his boat was in deep water (between 15 and 18 meters).

Describing the find, he said: “I slid the vessel to the crewman, who took it out and he made a comment: ‘It’s very blue.’

“I looked at him and said, ‘Yeah, no problem. ’ But then I looked at him again and said, ‘That’s too blue. ’”

Already a veteran fisherman, who started fishing at age 11, he added: “There were lobsters that didn’t look normal, they were a little more brown or redder, there was something different about them, but nothing too extreme.

“I Googled it to see how rare it was and the chance of getting it was one in two million.”

The County Down shellfish company shareholder said it was now one of the “weird and wonderful things” found in the ocean that he could tick off his bucket list.

Genetic differences can cause some lobsters to have a different color than the more commonly found brown or red variety.

The difference means that certain proteins are produced at a different rate than others.

Scientists estimate that the chance of catching a blue lobster is about one in two million, meaning it really was Stuart’s lucky day.