Jeremy T. Grant/Knowles Media
Meet Jacob Knowles, a 5th-generation Maine lobsterman who is sharing his unique career with legions of online fans
September 21, 20240
Knowles learned many tricks of the trade from the lobstermen in his family.
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At that time, Knowles said he had around 150 traps, and it was more of a learning experience than anything.
“I made a little bit of money also, but it was more for just the education,” he said.
He said that when he turned 15 or 16, he got a bigger boat and started working with his own crew. As a high school senior, he upgraded to a bigger boat again.
“I’ve upgraded several times since then,” he said. “I’ve been doing it forever.”
Knowles said that working as a lobsterman may be harder than people think.
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The New York Times reported that a video Knowles posted to TikTok in 2020 was one of his first to go viral. As of August 2024, it had roughly 6.2 million views.
In the 26-second clip, Knowles catches a female breeding lobster covered in eggs and explains that “like on a farm, you wouldn’t want to kill your breeders.”
Instead, he cuts a small notch in the lobster’s tail before throwing it back into the ocean, a common practice with female breeding lobsters that has become mandated by law in the state. That way, any future lobstermen who catch a female lobster while she doesn’t have any eggs will know that she’s able to produce them.
Knowles called the rise in short-form content, like the videos he posts to Instagram and TikTok, a “pivotal moment.”
“When the world transformed from long-form videos to short-form, now the farmers, fishermen, hunters, anybody can pull out their cell phone and film a 60-second, 30-second, 10-second clip and post it,” he said.
Knowles’ videos now frequently surpass 5 million views, and one video from 2023 has been viewed more than 57 million times. His success in catching viewers’ attention has led to brand deals, which could mean even more income as a content creator.
Knowles said he and his team are still being choosey about who they work with.
“We are being pretty selective on the brand deals, making sure they’re authentic to the page,” he said.
In his videos, Knowles educates viewers on commonly asked questions about lobstering.
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When asked if he was concerned that his reputation among his fellow lobstermen would change after he potentially became known around town as “the Instagram guy,” Knowles said that did cross his mind.
“I was concerned about that because, like I said, [this industry is] so respect-driven. And I’d spent my whole life building that respect,” he said. “I’ve been cautious to make sure the page is done in a way that is looked up to and respected and shines a positive light on the industry, and the fishermen, in particular, can respect it.”
He hopes to pass his knowledge down to his own son, should he choose to also pursue lobstering.
Jeremy T. Grant/Knowles Media
Knowles said that while it would certainly be exciting for his son to represent the sixth generation of lobstermen in his family, it’s certainly not a requirement.
“If he wants to do it, I’d definitely be happy to teach him. He’d be the sixth generation to do it,” Knowles said. “But I’m not going to pressure him into doing it. It’ll be cool, for sure, if he chooses to take that route.”
For now, Knowles is happy to show his son the ropes by taking him out on his boat on the weekends, an adventure he said the 5-year-old has been asking for all summer.
“He loves to fish for anything,” he said. “And the other day was the first day he’s been out with me, and he’d been asking to go forever. We finally got to go, and he was obsessed with it.”