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 go fishing 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 night-time 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 force patrolling in the Caribbean is 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 2 September, the US has carried out a number of strikes against what it labelled narco-boats, in which at least 27 people have been killed. The US has accused those killed of smuggling drugs but has so far not presented any evidence. Experts have suggested the strikes could be illegal under international law.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated further when US President Donald Trump stated he was considering strikes on Venezuelan soil, confirming that he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela.
Mr Fernández is across the latest news. Even if the strikes happened thousands of kilometers from where he fishes, his wife keeps trying to convince him to leave Lake Maracaibo. She tells me to look for another job, but there's nowhere to go, he explains.
One day after BBC Mundo spoke to Mr Fernández, Trump announced that six narco-terrorists had been killed in the latest US strike in international waters off the Venezuelan coast, just adding to the rising fears among the fishing community.
This situation paints a worrying picture for the fishing industry, as many fishermen are now wary of going out to sea given the new risks. Fishermen like Usbaldo Albornoz report that since news of the US strikes broke, many of their crew have refused to work. The fear of being hit by a US strike is the latest of a long list of risks these fishermen face including pirates, oil spills and declining earnings.
As fisheries minister Juan Carlos Loyo communicates, more than 16,000 fishermen mobilized to join the civilian force as tensions and fears loom over their sacred waters. If they want to kill us, then so be it, but we're not afraid, says José Luzardo, a spokesman for the fishermen, proclaiming their defiance against US intervention. The local fishing community stands at a crossroads between fear and resilience as they navigate these uncertain waters.
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 night-time 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 force patrolling in the Caribbean is 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 2 September, the US has carried out a number of strikes against what it labelled narco-boats, in which at least 27 people have been killed. The US has accused those killed of smuggling drugs but has so far not presented any evidence. Experts have suggested the strikes could be illegal under international law.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated further when US President Donald Trump stated he was considering strikes on Venezuelan soil, confirming that he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela.
Mr Fernández is across the latest news. Even if the strikes happened thousands of kilometers from where he fishes, his wife keeps trying to convince him to leave Lake Maracaibo. She tells me to look for another job, but there's nowhere to go, he explains.
One day after BBC Mundo spoke to Mr Fernández, Trump announced that six narco-terrorists had been killed in the latest US strike in international waters off the Venezuelan coast, just adding to the rising fears among the fishing community.
This situation paints a worrying picture for the fishing industry, as many fishermen are now wary of going out to sea given the new risks. Fishermen like Usbaldo Albornoz report that since news of the US strikes broke, many of their crew have refused to work. The fear of being hit by a US strike is the latest of a long list of risks these fishermen face including pirates, oil spills and declining earnings.
As fisheries minister Juan Carlos Loyo communicates, more than 16,000 fishermen mobilized to join the civilian force as tensions and fears loom over their sacred waters. If they want to kill us, then so be it, but we're not afraid, says José Luzardo, a spokesman for the fishermen, proclaiming their defiance against US intervention. The local fishing community stands at a crossroads between fear and resilience as they navigate these uncertain waters.
