January 7, 2024 — U.S. senators are lining up behind legislation that would exempt seafood processors from the nation’s annual cap on H-2B temporary worker visas.
The seafood processing sector depends on foreign workers to meet seasonal demands. The Maryland crab industry, for example, brings in 500 workers annually via the H-2B program during the crab season.
“For years, the struggle to hire seasonal workers has put an incredible strain on America’s seafood industry,” U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) said in a statement. “The chronic worker shortage has put seafood and crab businesses, particularly those on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, at risk of permanent damage.”
Under the status quo, seafood processors must compete against other industries dependent on foreign labor in the visa lottery, introducing a high level of uncertainty as they attempt to fill out their workforce. The federal government has regularly issued additional visas beyond the statutory cap, but seafood companies still say it’s difficult to secure enough workers through the program.