EUROPEAN LOBSTER
Do you like yours blue or red? By Susanne Masters
Illustration by Alice Goodridge
Outrageously blue, it was hard to miss a beached lobster (Homarus gammarus) I saw while walking my dog. I picked it up and dashed between breakers to put it back in the sea. After a moment of satisfaction about animal rescue I regretted it. Beautiful fresh lobster handed to me by Neptune and I gave it back.
Many sea swims are tantalisingly close to picking up lobsters, one of the more expensive items you see on a menu, for free. You have to dawdle and look to find them in the holes and crevices they lurk in. But if you are interested in catching this dinner when you swim there are a few things you need to know.