But with growing demand nationwide for such temporary workers, only one of Maryland's 21 seafood processing operations was able to get visas to bring the foreigners into the country this year.
In the past, the state's congressional delegation has been able to secure special provisions to get the workers to Maryland. Those efforts have failed this year.
Some critics of H2B say the foreigners depress wages for local workers, while others argue the temporary visas make it more difficult to focus attention on the need for broad immigration reform.
Beyond looking into prison labor, the Dorchester County Seafood Packers Association for the first time is sponsoring a job fair on Hoopers Island on Thursday, seeking more than 300 locals to pick crabs. The processors believe that people who have worked in small-parts assembly or in sewing would be especially skilled at separating crab from its shell.
The jobs start at $6.71 an hour but can go as high as $10 an hour for those who are quick with their hands, association officials say. If prisoners did the work, they would have to be paid the prevailing wage, Vernarelli said.
Industry officials say they aren't expecting many local residents to seek the jobs, despite the down economy and rising unemployment.
"The younger generation doesn't want to do a seasonal job, a not-glamorous job," said Bill Sieling, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association. "It's not the kind of jobs people go out and clamor for."
Processors say they need workers from somewhere or they won't be able to open. And the processors are a vital link in an economic chain.
While many crabs are sold whole by the bushel to consumers, even more are sold to processing houses. If there are no workers to process the crabs, not just crab houses but watermen could be out of business.
"The industry is at the end of the tether," Sieling said. "The job fair is one last-ditch effort. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised."
