Venezuela on the move: Aquaculture grew by 55% in 2024

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In the Unare Lagoon, between the Caribbean Sea and the mangroves of Anzoátegui State, life moves to the rhythm of the waves and the nets. Here, hundreds of families make a living from artisanal fishing in an environment that is both a source of work and a refuge for migratory birds. Our correspondent Álvaro Fragua continues to travel around this beautiful country and brings us the details in a new chapter of Venezuela on the move.  #teleSUREnglish #Venezuela #Aquaculture #SustainableFishing #EconomicGrowth

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00:00In the Unare Lagoon between the Caribbean Sea and the mangroves of Anzuategui State,

00:23life moves to the rhythm of the waves and the nets. Here, hundreds of families make a living

00:28from artisanal fishing in an environment that is both a source of work and a refuge for migratory

00:33birds. Our correspondent, Álvaro Fragua, continues to travel around this beautiful country and brings

00:38us the details in a new chapter of Venezuela on the Move. Venezuela is establishing itself as one

00:44of the fastest growing fish in countries in Latin America. According to data from the Ministry of

00:48Fisheries, aquaculture grew by 55 percent in 2024, driven mainly by shrimp, the main export product.

00:55In the Lagoon, this wealth is evident in every net and in every fishing expedition.

01:02The most common fish here are shrimp, labranche and mullet. Normally you can get sea bass, mojara,

01:09and bonefish, which is a fish with a lot of bones, but the adults here in the communities remove the meat.

01:17In recent years, young fishermen in Unare have changed their way of life. They no longer depend

01:23on middlemen. They are organized and market their own products, generating employment and local value.

01:28Now, the fisherman is worth more than the merchant himself, because the fisherman goes out fishing and

01:34has his own things. He mentalized himself, I'm going to buy my own things. I have enough not to depend

01:39on anyone then right now. The entrepreneurship in the community was created. On the banks of the Unare

01:44River, we meet Rosa, a strong-willed woman with more than 50 years of experience. Every morning,

01:50she continues to cast her net and says that she feels respected and at peace in El Atillo.

01:57Well, I feel good because none of them disrespect me. I've been fishing here for years and almost all

02:03the people I used to fish with have died. Now, there are only young people left and they treat me well too.

02:10In the village, Francisco opens his home to us and shows us how the tradition of making fishing nets

02:16by hand is kept alive. This tradition passed down from parents to children enables the community to

02:23fish and repair their own nets. Even as a little boy, I watched another man, I observed the man and

02:30how he did things. He made the fishing nets for my dad, and then I made them. Then I asked him,

02:35how do you do this? How do you make this? He said to me, look, you do this here, this way, this way.

02:43Life in El Atillo is centered around a humble, hardworking community that organizes itself into

02:48community councils to look after its streets and natural resources. How is it? Well, everyone here is

02:55humble, good people, honest and hardworking, and we are all united. We all live together because we all live

03:01as a fisherman family. In this corner of the Caribbean, fish is not only work, it is also life and health.

03:08The inhabitants of the lagoon eat it every day, like Julio, who at 86 years of age continues to fish

03:14and cook his own food. You can fry it. You can make soup. Well, however you want. Eat fish, because it

03:23does hurt you. It does you good. It's good for you. And look at my age right now, how I still am,

03:30thank God, for eating so much fish. Back at the mouth of the river where hundreds of species of

03:35migratory birds stopped to regain their strength, José Millán tells us that he's calm despite the

03:42United States' attack on fishermen from Colombia and Venezuela. Before saying goodbye, he shared his

03:48deepest desire with us. We want peace in Venezuela and our country's economy to continue progressing and

03:54growing.

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