Albino Crab?

Type: Chesapeake
Region: Northern
Location: Mouth of Bush River

I was crabbing Sunday afternoon when this crab showed up on our trot line. I've never seen an albino crab or heard of one for that matter. You can see in the picture that its right claw is normal color, but the rest of his body is a very pale blue nearly white. I was wondering if this is a common occurrence, and if in fact this is actually an "albino" crab.

DNR RESPONSE via Brand Davis, Fisheries Biologist - Interesting, haven�t seen one quite like this before. No, this crab is not albino � albinism is a genetic condition that causes the lack of all pigment. Crabs with unusual coloration or partial lack of pigment are not common, but there are a few caught every year.