Fishermen hit by climate change and rocketing fuel costs

Artisanal fishermen in the Panamanian Pacific face a double whammy: they must increasingly venture further from the coast to find fish and, at the same time, assume higher fuel costs to try to maintain an activity that for many families represents their main source of income, reports TVN.

In places like Puerto Caimito and Playa Leona, several boats remain stranded due to declining catches. Fishermen say that sea conditions have changed and that what they used to catch close to shore now forces them to travel much farther out.

“Before, you would go close, come back, and bring back products, you would bring back your five baskets. Now you go farther and bring back less fish,” explained Jean Carlos Ábrego, a fisherman from Leona beach in La Chorrera, who also warns about the risks of venturing out to sea in small boats when conditions worsen.

“We don’t dare to risk it because out at sea the winds get stronger and the waves are rougher, and those little boats aren’t meant for that. Water gets in through the bow and we could go under,” he explained.

The situation has also changed the routine of fishermen like Marcos de la For, who has dedicated years to this activity in Playa Leona. Now, instead of going out daily to look for fish, he spends part of his time washing his boat.

One of the main obstacles is the cost of going out to sea. He explained that previously a day’s trip could be done with between $30 and $40 in fuel, while now it can require more than $100, with no guarantee of recouping that investment through the catch.

The increase in sea temperature has altered the conditions of the ecosystem and, according to the fishermen and specialists consulted, the species have moved to other areas.

Previously, a small fishing boat could catch between 400 and 500 pounds of fish in a day. Now, the catch can be reduced to between 10 and 20 pounds, and sometimes they catch nothing at all.