NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — Step aside, Arnie. UMass Dartmouth has a new mascot in town.

The School for Marine Science and Technology's (SMAST) East Campus in New Bedford recently welcomed a rare guest: a deep indigo-colored lobster.

The crustacean, weighing about 1.25 pounds and estimated to be between 7 and 8 years old, was reeled in by the Michael & Erin fishing vessel crew from Beverly.

Rather than risk it ending up on a dinner plate, the crew contacted the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, which helped arrange its new home.

Forrest Kennedy, professional technician and seawater lab manager, said SMAST was ecstatic to take the sea creature in. Now on display in the seawater lab’s touch tank, he called the lobster a “brand ambassador for UMass.”

Students on campus are in a

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