The Invisible Hand of Maine’s Lobster Market: Meet Marty Molloy
Description
What happens when the boats disappear, the buyers retire, and the next generation doesn’t come back?
In this raw and revealing conversation, Jonathan Bush sits down with Martin Molloy—a Navy vet turned legendary lobster buyer—to unpack what’s really happening to Maine’s working waterfront.
They talk about the hard truths behind the decline in young lobstermen, the quiet collapse of Matinicus and North Haven’s fleets, and why labor shortages, pricing pressure from Canadian seasons, and outdated state policies are making survival harder than ever.
But they also spotlight what’s still working—and what might save the fishery.
Key themes include:
- How Matinicus went from 20 boats to 10—and what that says about the future
- Why Maine lobstermen are struggling to find crew (and how “Probation Point” became a labor pool)
- The market dynamics driving lobster prices from $9.50 to $5 in weeks
- The cultural tension between stewardship, competition, and survival
- What aquaculture and bait diversification are teaching us about adaptation
This isn’t just a story about lobster.
It’s a story about rural economies, generational handoffs, and whether Maine can hold onto the soul of its coastal identity.
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 – Matinicus memories and how they met
04:00 – What a lobster buyer really does
06:00 – The Navy, the transition, and family legacy
13:00 – The decline of the island fleets
16:00 – The labor shortage no one’s solving
22:00 – Why Canadian supply crushes Maine’s lobster price
27:00 – The lost opportunity in processing and exports
32:00 – The case for diversification (bait, mussels, aquaculture)
35:00 – Reflections on stewardship, policy, and the fight to stay in business
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