Venezuelan fishermen and merchants fight for daily sustenance after earthquakes

In La Guaira, Venezuela's hardest-hit coastal state, fishermen and merchants are engaged in a daily battle for survival after the devastating earthquakes of June 24.

More than a month after the powerful 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors, which officially claimed at least 6,301 lives and injured 73,356, businesses are gradually reopening. Fishermen have returned to their nets, casting them into the sea once more.

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We were given gasoline and started going out to fish again, and thank God we are starting to catch some fish.

At the La Zorra pier in Catia La Mar, fishermen like Andrés García Rodríguez are bringing in catches of yellowfin tuna, selling them for about four to five dollars per kilo. "We were given gasoline and started going out to fish again, and thank God we are starting to catch some fish," García Rodríguez told EFE. He explained that after the double earthquake, they couldn't fish for a week due to a lack of fuel for their small boats. Despite a drop in demand following the tragedy, he hopes sales will increase in the coming weeks to allow him to "survive."

The Ministry of Pesca y Acuicultura reports that 60% of the region's seafood restaurants have reopened. However, the impact of the earthquakes is deeply personal for many. "There were colleagues who lost family members, a friend of ours who used to buy our fish also got buried," lamented fisherman José Gómez. He added that many fishermen lived in buildings that collapsed, and some are still searching for relatives among the debris. Gómez expressed confidence that the government, through the Ministry of Pesca y Acuicultura, led by Juan Carlos Loyo, will assist those who lost their homes, including himself, despite his own home sustaining damage.

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There were colleagues who lost family members, a friend of ours who used to buy our fish also got buried.