Venezuelan Fishermen Face Perilous Waters Amid US Military Operations

Sat Oct 18 2025 16:43:54 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In the shadow of US military strikes targeting drug trafficking near its shores, Venezuelan fishermen struggle to navigate fears for their safety and livelihoods.

As US military operations intensify in the Caribbean, Venezuelan fishermen, like Wilder Fernández, are increasingly anxious about their safety. The deployment of US forces has triggered fears of accidental strikes, disrupting their daily lives and threatening their livelihoods. Many are reconsidering their roles in the fishing industry as the dangers escalate, introducing the risk of violence from both the sea and the skies.

Wilder Fernández has caught four good-sized fish in the murky waters of a small bay north of Lake Maracaibo. The contents of his net will serve as dinner for his small team before they set out to fish again in the evening. But this daily task is a job he has recently become scared of doing.

After 13 years as a fisherman, Mr. Fernández confesses that he now fears his job could turn lethal. He is afraid he could die in these waters not at the hands of a nighttime attacker, a threat fishermen like him encountered in the past, but rather, killed in a strike launched by a foreign power.

It's crazy, man, he says of the deployment of US warships, fighter jets, a submarine, and thousands of US troops in waters north of Venezuela's coast. The US forces patrolling in the Caribbean are part of a military operation targeting suspected 'narco-terrorists', which according to the White House have links to the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro.

Since last month, the US has conducted at least six strikes on suspected drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean, with the latest being on Thursday. At least 27 people have been killed, but Thursday's strike appeared to be the first with survivors aboard the boat.

The US has accused those killed of smuggling drugs but has so far not presented any evidence. Experts have suggested the strikes may be illegal under international law.

Recent tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated further when US President Donald Trump indicated he was considering strikes on Venezuelan soil and confirmed that he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela.

Mr. Fernández is aware of how these military actions might impact his livelihood. Despite being told that strikes are happening thousands of kilometers from his fishing grounds, his wife urges him to abandon his job. Every day she begs me to look for another job, but there's nowhere to go, he explains.

He remains concerned about the potential for his boat to be hit by mistake. Of course it worries me, you never know. I think about it every day, man, says the father of three.

As fear grips many fishermen, it’s not just the direct risks of US strikes that concern them. Jennifer Nava, a spokeswoman for the Council of Fishermen in El Bajo, notes that many fishermen fear being caught in the crossfire between US forces and alleged drug traffickers.

For some, the increased risks may lead them closer to drug smuggling which poses a significant dilemma for their survival. Some of these guys are approached by traffickers, she explains, warning that a downturn in the fishing industry could leave fishermen vulnerable to exploitation.

In a recent show of defiance, hundreds of fishermen took to Lake Maracaibo to protest the US military presence and display support for the Maduro government, with José Luzardo among them. If they [the US] want to kill us, then so be it, but we're not afraid, he declares.

This sentiment encapsulates the complex mix of fear, defiance, and desperation among Venezuelan fishermen as they navigate these treacherous and unpredictable waters.