Maine For Keeps
Maine For Keeps
Podcast Description
Welcome to Maine For Keeps, hosted by Jonathan Bush. Each week, we're sitting down with real Mainers - from small business owners fighting to survive, to industry leaders and innovators, to working folks trying to make ends meet - for raw, unfiltered conversations about:
→ The real stories of what's killing Maine jobs (like the 174 we just lost at the cement plant)
→ How Maine's smartest businesses are finding ways to win despite the obstacles
→ Why "environmental protection" often hurts both business AND the environment
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores critical issues affecting Maine's economy, highlighting themes like job loss, business innovation, and the impact of environmental policies. Episode examples include discussions on the loss of jobs at local cement plants, strategies employed by profitable companies, and the complexities of regional energy policies, with a focus on how these factors influence the state's economic landscape.
Welcome to Maine For Keeps, hosted by Jonathan Bush. Each week, we’re sitting down with real Mainers – from small business owners fighting to survive, to industry leaders and innovators, to working folks trying to make ends meet – for raw, unfiltered conversations about:
→ The real stories of what’s killing Maine jobs (like the 174 we just lost at the cement plant)
→ How Maine’s smartest businesses are finding ways to win despite the obstacles
→ Why “environmental protection” often hurts both business AND the environment
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collapse of Matinicus and North Haven’s fleets, and why labor shortages, pricing pressure from Canadian seasons, and outdated state policies are making survival harder than ever.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
Subscribe for weekly conversations on the real challenges and future of Maine’s economy.
🎧 Search Maine For Keeps wherever you get your podcasts.
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.