At Lindy’s Seafood, workers receive $4.50 per pound of crab meat they pick. That adds up to roughly $12–$16 per hour — about the same pay as a home health aide or preschool teacher.

Dorchester County may have one of the highest unemployment rates in Maryland, but Lindy’s and other crab processors in the remote southern half of the county still struggle to find local takers for their jobs.