Maryland crab meat prices might be in jeopardy as industry loses workforce

A crisis hitting Maryland could lead to higher prices and shortages of the beloved Eastern Shore food.

About 40 percent of the crab industry has lost its workforce, mostly Mexicans who come to pick crab during the warmer months, following a policy change by the Trump administration, according to The Baltimore Sun.

"This is going to cause the price of crab meat to go out of sight," Harry Phillips, owner of Russell Hall Seafood on Hoopers Island, told the Sun. "There's not going to be hardly any Maryland crab meat."

The seasonal industry relies heavily on temporary workers who are permitted to work for several months a year in the United States. The Trump administration changed the way it awards visas from a first-come, first served policy to a lottery system.

As a result, some crab houses have been left with no workers, just as the crab season starts.

A government chose the lottery after a record 81,000 visa applications were filed with the U.S. government, a far cry from the 33,000 available.

The Maryland crab industry typically employs about 500 foreign workers through the H-2B visa program, but this year nearly 200 visas were denied, the Sun reported. More visas are supposedly going to be issued but the crab houses fear it will be too late in the season.

It's too early to say what the effect will be crab meat prices and availability. Most crab used by restaurants and sold in supermarkets is sourced internationally.

Local crab meat would be impacted the most.

"The price of crab meat was at an all-time high last fall and this could make the prices of crab meat even higher," said Curt Engle, owner of Harbor House Crabs, which ships Maryland blue crabs across the country and operates shops in Swatara Township and Hampden Township.

Although, Engle said crab from other domestic sources could keep overall crab prices in check. And on the flip side, Engle said price of female crabs might drop because the demand for the picking houses will be lower due to lack of labor.

"This is all speculation, as everything can affect price," he said.

Gary Huether, Jr., co-founder of Arooga's Grille House & Sports Bar chain, said prices on items such as Chesapeake crab dip and crab pretzels are not changing. Arooga's locks in its crab prices with a supplier for one year, he said.

"Availability has been talked about," Huether said, adding eventually he thinks prices will increase dramatically.

Don Carter, Jr., owner of the Duke's Bar & Grille chain and Dockside Willies and Rock Bass Grill in Wormleysburg, said he doesn't anticipate any impact because he buys fresh crab shipped from Venezuela. Maryland crab meat is too hard to source, he said.

"There's not enough of that product to pick so all of the restaurants on the East Coast can serve Maryland crab meat in their crab cakes," Carter said.

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