Maryland seafood producers shortchanged on visas for seasonal workers as other industries abuse the system to access cheap labor

Maryland seafood producers struggle mightily each year to find the 400 crab pickers they need for a crab season that runs from April 1 through November. They often place their hope in the H-2B visa lottery that allows them to recruit foreign workers for these temporary jobs. Yet this year, just one Maryland seafood producer out of the 10 that applied won the H-2B worker lottery, even as the administration released an additional 35,000 visas.