As a result of a Trump administration immigration policy, crab houses on the Eastern Shore of Maryland have been short on labor this summer. Midway through the crabbing season, some are losing customers and profits in what might be the new reality for an industry dependent on immigrant labor, according to the Washington Post.
Many Maryland crab pickers—workers who extract the animal’s meat by hand—are brought to the U.S. from Mexico through the H-2B program, which allocates temporary work visas. Several months ago, the Trump administration announced that it would distribute the visas via a lottery system, rather than first-come, first-served. The new system shut out many business owners who relied on the visas to bring over essential workers.
“Just under half of Russell Hall’s business comes from picked crabmeat used by restaurants to make crab cakes and other delicacies. For now, the company is trying to stay afloat through its sale of whole crabs and menhaden, which are used for bait,” reports the Washington Post of one Maryland seafood company.
“[Russell Hall’s owner Harry] Phillips said he has lost about 20 customers — hotels in Ocean City, restaurants in Baltimore and seafood shops from as far as Massachusetts — who are turning to vendors with a more reliable supply.”
Few American workers have signed up for the tedious task of crab picking, and Mexican workers who would have found seasonal employment in the industry are suffering from the lost income, the Post said.