Of 300 boats that fish from the port of Zazárida in the Buchivacoa municipality of Falcón State, only 10% have managed to go to sea in recent days, affected by the sedimentation of the bay that has seized and stranded most of the boats.
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The sedimentation problem has been going on for years, to which is added the poor condition of the most important dock in western Falcón and the one in charge of bringing most of the fish catch to the central states and the capital of Venezuela.
Sedimentation has expanded to the point that boats can no longer cast off and there must be a very high tide for the boats to be able to move and leave.
The poor conditions of the port are not only due to environmental factors, but also to the lack of government attention.
Of three docks, only one is operational, because it is patched up with sticks and tied with ropes so that fishermen can unload their catch.
Sea workers have also had to change their fishing schedule.
“We have to leave before the tide goes down and arrive in the same way. Otherwise, it is impossible. There are many boats that are already stranded by the sediment,” said a fisherman from the area.
For his part, the President of the Municipal Chamber of Buchivacoa, Leobaldo Calleja, reported that fishermen waste up to three days to be able to enter the bay.
“It is a real emergency that puts at risk the economic subsistence of hundreds of Buchivacoa families who depend on this port to survive. As a councilor of the Buchivacoa Municipality, I call again on the port authorities, the national and regional Government to address this emergency, since the port has been one of the bastions of production in the western part of the country, and its abandonment for many years is reaching the point where it is already unusable,” he said.
Calleja says that dredging is urgently needed, which has not been done for more than 10 years, and the last time was not done properly.
“We hope that it will be resolved soon and that the port can be dredged or relocated, because the situation that the fishermen of our town are experiencing is unsustainable. Zazárida has given so much to Venezuela and to Falcón, and today it is completely abandoned. I call on the executive authorities to take prompt action to solve the problem.”
Zazárida is a fishing port. Even women are involved in fishing related activities. All families live off artisanal fishing and by not being able to do so, their needs increase.
Although the fishermen and their families have been calling on the authorities to do something for 5 years, they have not received any response to address this problem that is getting worse by the day.