MARYLAND - The federal government has announced nearly 65,000 additional H-2B seasonal worker visas, almost doubling the current availability. The move offers a glimmer of hope for Maryland's Eastern Shore seafood processors, who have long struggled to secure sufficient labor under the existing system.
However, it remains unclear how many of the new visas will be allocated to the seafood industry or Maryland specifically.
Seafood processors, primarily located in Dorchester County, have repeatedly voiced concerns about the Department of Homeland Security's lottery system, which randomly allocates the visas. The system often leaves many processors without the workers they need.
Jack Brooks, of J.M. Clayton Seafood in Cambridge, called the additional visas good news but stressed the need for broader reforms.
“We don’t know how they’re going to be appropriated yet,” Brooks said. “They all won’t be released at once, so there should be some for most states in need. We’re tickled they decided to do that.”
Brooks also advocated for the elimination of the lottery system, an issue Maryland’s U.S. senators and an Alaska senator are working to address.
“The language [for reform] is very simple, very straightforward,” Brooks added. “It’ll get us off this treadmill that we’ve been on since 2005.”
Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen released a joint statement, saying, “We will also continue pressing forward with our efforts to pass a permanent, narrowly tailored fix for the H-2B program to better support Maryland's seafood processors while supporting American jobs. Improving the reliability of the H-2B program.”
Brooks noted that the seafood processing industry on the Mid-Shore requires about 500 visas annually to be fully staffed. This past year, it received slightly fewer than needed. While the additional visas offer hope, their impact on Maryland’s seafood industry remains uncertain.