Venezuela's fading oil wealth: Fishermen say livelihoods are disappearing as Lake Maracaibo dies

Nerio Soto has made a living from fishing on Lake Maracaibo for more than 50 years. He remembers when the oil boom of the 20th century transformed Zulia into one of Venezuela's richest regions. Today, that prosperity is a distant memory. Things have changed by 95%. Before, you would go fishing and have money left over for whatever you needed. Now, it's not even enough to eat. Fishermen say oil spills have polluted the lake. They blame neglect and poor maintenance of oil infrastructure. They also report robberies, demands for protection payments and difficulty getting petrol for their boats. Asnaldo Tigero has sold fish from the lake for 13 years. He says the decline has hit both his business and the people supplying it. Before, we sold 200 to 300 kilos a day. Now, we sell 30 to 40 kilos. The decline has been enormous. Nereo's nephew, Ender Soto, checks the catch and calculates the earnings. He too is considering leaving the family trade. I'm thinking about looking for another job because we don't earn enough. Sometimes we eat but still feel hungry. We don't have enough to fill us up because fish sells for so little. For this family, keeping the business going is a struggle, and any boost in oil production could bring new risks. Venezuela is turning to oil to revive its economy. For Nereo and Ender, recovery also means protecting the lake, and making fishing a livelihood their families can still depend on. Nerio Soto, Al Jazeera, Lake Maracaibo.