Saving Seafood

US senators ask Trump administration to release more H-2B visas for 2026

November 21, 2025 — United States senators are asking the Trump administration to release the maximum number of additional H-2B temporary visas for 2026 to support seasonal employers, such as the domestic seafood industry.

“Chronic labor shortages – faced by seasonal U.S. employers throughout the nation’s history – have been exacerbated by the post-pandemic evolution of the American workforce. As this need grows, so does the pressure on U.S. workers, whose employers’ workforce needs cannot be met with American workers alone,” U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) wrote in a joint letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL). “Issuing the extra discretionary H-2B visas in a timely manner will help alleviate these workforce shortages and, in doing so, will help create and sustain the jobs of American workers who rely on the H-2B workers to support their duties during their peak seasons.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US fishing industry breathes sigh of relief as H-2B visa program expanded

July 24, 2017 — An announcement made last week by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to expand a guest worker program was met with a mix of cheers and frustration by seafood industry representatives and elected officials from key states in the trade.

DHS Secretary John Kelly said he agreed to expand the H-2B visa program through the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in September. The visa program, designed for temporary workers coming to the country to fill nonagricultural jobs, helps employers fill jobs they say would otherwise sit vacant.

Congress established a cap of 66,000 such workers this year, with 33,000 visas available during both halves of the year. However, in May, lawmakers gave Kelly the authority to consider a one-time extension in the program. Over the last couple of months, DHS officials worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to establish guidelines regarding the expansion.

In past years, the seafood industry benefitted greatly from the visa program. According to data from the Center for Immigration Studies, Alaska-based Silver Bay Seafoods employed 971 H-2B workers – more than any other employer in the country last year. Peter Pan Seafoods, Inc., received approval for nearly 400 H-2B workers at its Alaska operation, while in North Carolina, Capt. Charlie’s Seafood employed 200.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Feds: Fish firms owe workers $203K in damages

April 14, 2017 — Kristian Kristensen and his two Harbor Loop companies — Cape Ann Seafood Exchange and Zeus Packing — must pay more than $200,000 in liquidated damages to 132 employees in a settlement over violations of overtime and record keeping.

The U.S. Department of Labor said an investigation by its wage and hour division unearthed violations from October 2011 through September 2014. The probe determined Kristensen and the companies owed $203,998 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. Liquidated damages are monetary compensations for a loss or a person’s rights or property, awarded by a court judgment.

The Labor Department said the defendants paid the back wages in 2015, but refused to pay the damages and civil penalties assessed for the violations.

The Labor Department then filed suit in March 2016 in U.S. District Court in Boston to recover the unpaid amounts.

“After almost a year of litigation and negotiation, the defendants agreed to settle by consent judgment,” the Labor Department said in a statement. Kristensen did not return calls from the Times seeking comment Thursday afternoon.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times