Fishermen Fear US-Venezuela Tensions
Fishermen in Trinidad and Tobago say recent U.S. naval strikes on suspected drug boats and a sharp escalation with Venezuela have left them afraid for their lives and livelihoods. Local crews are staying closer to shore, catching fewer fish, and warning that regional militarisation threatens Caribbean coastal communities and industries.
Fishermen in Trinidad and Tobago are reporting growing fear and economic strain after a series of U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels and a broader escalation between Washington and Caracas, according to reporting by The Associated Press and Virgin Islands News Online.
Fisherman Modie, who lives in a coastal village with views across the sea to Venezuela, said he worries his small fishing boat could be mistaken for a narco-trafficking vessel. "What could we do? We're just a little dot," he told reporters, adding that he had seen little evidence that those killed in the U.S. strikes were definitively carrying drugs.
President Donald Trump declared in a memo that the United States is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels in the Caribbean, and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered multiple strikes on small boats accused of carrying drugs off Venezuela's coast. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has responded by placing the military and civilian militias on high alert and denouncing a U.S. military buildup near its waters.
Caught between the two powers, Trinidad and Tobago has seen political and military posturing. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has accused drug cartels of harming the country and has indicated willingness to grant U.S. access if needed, comments Maduro has likened to a declaration of war.
Regional leaders at the United Nations have called for dialogue and de-escalation, with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley urging the Caribbean be treated as a zone of peace. On Trinidad's southwestern tip, villages such as Icacos and Cedros depend heavily on fishing. Dozens of boats line the shore and crews say they are now limiting their operations to shallower waters to reduce the risk of encountering military patrols or being misidentified. "At any point in time, outside there, you could be taken out," said fisherman Kamal Bikeran, noting reduced catches and income.
Longtime fisherman Shyam Hajarie said the tension is already affecting daily life and could push up prices or hurt tourism and export markets if it continues. For the British Virgin Islands, the episode is a reminder that regional security flashpoints can cascade across the Caribbean, threatening fisheries, small-scale livelihoods and the wider maritime economy that underpins tourism and trade.
Fisherfolk in the region are calling for clearer rules of engagement, better communication from naval forces operating in shared waters, and diplomatic efforts to lower tensions so that fishermen can work without fearing for their lives or reputations.
Primary source: VINO