Venezuelan fishermen caught between fear and crisis after US attacks in Caribbean

Cumaná, Venezuela (EFE).- The fishing towns of Güiria and Cumaná are located in the northeastern Venezuelan state of Sucre, just 262 kilometers (166 miles) apart. Despite the short distance between them, the perception of fear is not the same in both places, and the economic dynamic has been affected differently by the United States’ naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea near the country’s coasts.

In Güiria, located just a few kilometers from Trinidad and Tobago, where drug trafficking groups are reportedly present, US vessels have generated fear and altered the local economy, according to fishermen and merchants interviewed by EFE. In Cumaná, however, fishermen say that a lack of gasoline has hindered their work.

Since Sep. 2, when the first US attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea was reported under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, Güiria has begun to suffer economically. Unconfirmed reports from authorities indicate that at least three of the 11 people killed in the explosion were Güiria residents.

Informal trade of goods such as food, clothing, and footwear has stopped due to locals’ fear of traveling by boat to Trinidad and Tobago, which has decreased the flow of foreign currency into the area.

«Boats are no longer leaving for Trinidad, not even with migrants. People are afraid of explosions and dying,» commented a merchant on condition of anonymity.

Migration to the island, located just 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from Venezuela’s closest coast, has been common for years. Before September 2025, Güiria residents told EFE that around six boats departed weekly for Trinidad and Tobago, but in the last two months, that number has dropped to zero.

This halt in departures is unprecedented for Güiria, where boat traffic continued even after a shipwreck in December 2020 in which 33 people died and eight went missing — all of whom were apparently migrants.

Following the US attack in September, this town has reported an increased police and military presence. One local claimed to have identified plainclothes officers.

They confirmed that it is known in the town that 15 to 20 of those killed in US attacks on boats are from Güiria and nearby towns. However, they avoid commenting publicly for fear of reprisals.

In response to the US mobilization, numerous boatmen joined military exercises carried out at sea by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) in September. This week, the exercises included participation from Trinidad and Tobago, which was rejected by Caracas.

On Sep. 13, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil denounced that, the previous day, a US «destroyer» had boarded a vessel with nine fishermen in Venezuelan waters for eight hours. The vessel was located 48 nautical miles from La Blanquilla Island, north of the Margarita Island territory.

No fear of fishing

The situation in Cumaná, the capital of Sucre, is different. Several fishermen interviewed by EFE said that they are not afraid of the US naval deployment and continue to fish, although they said that their activities have been affected by the lack of gasoline, the deterioration of their boat engines, and the absence of credits for repairs, which were available until 2013.

Although the government subsidizes fuel for boatmen, the fishermen said it only does so once every month and a half or two months. Furthermore, they said the amount supplied lasts for two days of labor when they work 15 to 20 days a month.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, fishermen said they buy dollarized gasoline at 50 cents per liter (the regular price in the country) and have changed their work methods to save fuel. Some make longer trips depending on the type of product they are looking for.

One fisherman told EFE that he earns between 10 and 15 dollars per day of work, fishing three times a week, receiving around 40 dollars per week. He also mentioned that he must invest about 40 dollars in gasoline for three or four days of fishing.

Like other fishermen, he bets on good fishing days when he can catch more expensive products, such as tuna and lobster.

«From an economic point of view, it is not profitable. Fishing is an adventure. If you work 20 days a month, only five or seven of those days are effective for fishing.» A second boatman, who also preferred not to give his name, told EFE.

«The fisherman goes out trusting that he will find bread,» he added.EFE

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