Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Otaheite fishermen say they have docked their boats in fear, following recent statements by Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez that Trinidadian fishermen had been “condemned to death” by the actions of their Prime Minister.
While some have opted for shallow trawling closer to shore, those who normally fish for carite and kingfish in deeper waters say they are now taking a serious risk just to feed their families, now that tensions between the United States and Venezuela have clearly intensified.
When Guardian Media visited the Otaheite port in South Oropouche yesterday, dozens of boats remained parked along the docks.
Fisherman Kendall Philbert, who had just returned from sea, said while they were opting for shallow fishing, it was yielding almost nothing.
“All we catch is one salmon,” he explained, adding that fishermen were too afraid to venture into deeper waters.
Another fisherman, who identified himself only as “AB” and was one the few who now venture out, described the presence of US warships and increased patrols by Venezuela’s Guardia Nacional as frightening.
“This is something we accustomed to because for years now, we dealing with the Guardia and the pirates,” he said.
He noted, however, that he supported the US presence in international waters, since drug runners with their fast boats also posed a threat to law-abiding fisherfolk.
He explained that fishermen often carry US$200 in case they are arrested by the Guardia Nacional, which allows them to pay for their return to Trinidad.
“If bandits or pirates catch you, then you have to pay ransom for your captain and crew. That’s about US$5,000. It doesn’t make sense to risk going deep near the border,” he said.
Most fishermen interviewed declined to appear on camera. However, some expressed anger at the Venezuelan Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello, who had also insulted Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister by calling her a “drunk leader.”
“Leave Aunty Kamla alone. Who do they think they are? We should take action and send back all these migrants who flooding our healthcare system,” one fisherman said.
Others pointed to the circulating online video showing the US strike that destroyed a pirogue allegedly transporting drugs with 11 Tren de Arugua gang members onboard earlier this week.
“This makes us very worried because we could be out there and they will blow us up too. Sometimes we go out with 11 people in a boat. We carry researchers too. But now we can’t do that—they will blow us up,” another fisherman said.
When asked about pirogues fitted with four engines, one fisherman insisted it was normal practice.
“If one engine fails, we have two more. And if those break down, we have another one,” he explained.
But another fisherman disagreed, saying: “No genuine fisherman goes out with four engines.”
Fishermen said those along the south coast were taking added precautions, especially those from Otaheite, where one of their own had been named as a terrorist by Venezuelan authorities several months ago. The man, identified as Gis Kendel Jheron by Venezuelan Justice Minister Cabello, is originally from Gibbs Trace, Claxton Bay, but residents said he had been living in the Otaheite Bay area before reportedly leaving for Venezuela two years ago.
Meanwhile, at Fullarton Beach, a message circulated warning fishermen to stay ashore. It read: “There is information circulating of a high-speed vessel of Venezuela, which departed Tucupita this morning en route to Pedernales, Venezuela. Mariners are urged to remain within the territorial waters of Trinidad and Tobago and to take particular safety precautions off the south-western peninsula of Trinidad in particular.”
Fishermen said those with other options may abandon the trade, but those accustomed to the sea may have no choice but to brave the waters that were once seen as a source of food.
