WASHINGTON 鈥� Maryland鈥檚 Board of Public Works has approved putting $375,000 toward a marketing campaign to help the state鈥檚 seafood industry, which has been hit by a labor shortage.
The vote on Wednesday is intended to help the crab industry after a change in the federal HB2 visa program left a number of Eastern Shore crab houses without the seasonal foreign crab-processing labor they鈥檝e depended on for years.
The money approved by the BPW will go to a Maryland Department of Agriculture program that markets seafood sales.
Jay Newcomb, owner of Old Salty鈥檚 Restaurant, in Fishing Creek on Hooper鈥檚 Island, said he鈥檚 been unable to open the doors of his processing plant. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been closed the entire season, and here it is now almost Fourth of July week and we haven鈥檛 processed a pound of crabmeat.鈥�
Newcomb said the state has been helpful in promoting Maryland crabmeat, even before Wednesday鈥檚 action by the Board of Public Works, and he appreciates the $375,000 investment in promoting the state鈥檚 seafood industry, 鈥滲ut as it is now, we don鈥檛 have the Maryland crabmeat to sell to customers.鈥� Newcomb says his restaurant features crab cakes and seafood dishes stuffed with crabmeat, but he can鈥檛 offer those specialties.
He鈥檚 also spent $10,000 on the plastic tubs and cups in which customers buy their crabmeat. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a $10,000 investment that I鈥檝e got sitting there in storage that I probably won鈥檛 use this summer. I鈥檝e got nothing to put in those cups.鈥�
Newcomb said the situation is frustrating. 鈥淎ll we want to do is work, and promote our county and our state.鈥�
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement, 鈥淲e remain hopeful that this issue will be resolved at the federal level, but in the meantime, we are doing all we can at the state level to support this iconic industry.鈥�
Hogan and U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, a Republican from Maryland, have been working to get the federal government to issue more visas.
