On a humid afternoon in the Caribbean, Kenrick Modie, a fisherman from Trinidad and Tobago, finished untangling his nets and gazed out at the sea—a source of both his livelihood and, lately, his deepest anxiety. Just 11 miles from Venezuela, Modie and thousands of other fishermen in the region now find themselves caught in the crossfire of an escalating geopolitical conflict between the United States and Venezuela, with the threat of military action looming over waters they’ve fished for generations.
Recent weeks have seen a dramatic uptick in U.S. military strikes targeting vessels suspected of drug trafficking off the Venezuelan coast. According to The Gleaner and the Associated Press, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on October 3, 2025, that the U.S. had launched its fifth such maritime strike in a month, killing four individuals on a small vessel accused of carrying large quantities of narcotics. This latest operation brought the reported death toll from these strikes to at least 21. Hegseth, in a statement posted to his social media account, called those killed “narco-terrorists” and insisted the drugs were “headed to America to poison our people.”
For Modie and his peers, these words ring with chilling uncertainty. “If we die, we die, that’s how this life is,” Modie told AP, voicing his fear that a mistaken missile strike could end his life while out at sea. He’s skeptical about the U.S. claims regarding the identities and activities of those killed. “I haven’t seen substantial evidence that those killed in the U.S. strikes were indeed transporting drugs,” he said, echoing a sentiment shared by many fishermen along the Caribbean’s southern edge.
Jamaican fishermen, too, are feeling the pressure. Some, like Roy from Pedro Bank, brush off the threat, insisting their fishing grounds keep them far from danger. “It nuh trouble mi because wi nah fish over deh suh. We a hook and line man. Wi only guh from Pedro Bank. Wi don’t guh further than there,” Roy told The Gleaner. He emphasized that his community doesn’t “deal wid drugs,” and feels unaffected by the strikes, noting, “Dem nuh inna Caribbean water.”
But for others, unease is growing. At the Greenwich Farm Fishing Village in Jamaica, fishermen are urging the government to provide clear guidelines to prevent accidental entry into zones now considered dangerous due to increased military activity. “The Government is the one that should be giving guidelines,” one fisherman told The Gleaner. “You could end up somewhere and some missile just fly and hit you because you are suspected of or you may seem to pass Venezuela strait or Trinidad strait.” Another fisherman, Richard, warned, “The fisherfolk are getting the bad end of it because if any of us go out there and by whatever means [stray] and the battleship weh dem have inna di waters right now, [mi] feel like is a threat ... . They will do something foolish like that and Jamaica don’t really have the kinda governmental power to deal with that.”
These fears are not unfounded. Fishermen in Jamaica have, on occasion, drifted into foreign territorial waters after extended periods at sea or due to mechanical failures. In the past, they’ve been rescued by authorities from Colombia, Honduras, and other neighboring countries. Now, with U.S. warships patrolling the region and a policy of treating suspected drug traffickers as “unlawful combatants,” the risk of being mistaken for a target has never been higher.
The escalation is rooted in a policy shift by the Trump administration. President Trump has informed Congress that the U.S. considers itself in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, designating these groups as terrorist organizations. A leaked memo described the conflict as “non-international,” and the Pentagon has defended the strikes as acts of self-defense. However, legal experts—quoted in The Gleaner and AP—have questioned the legality of such actions under international law, especially given the lack of public evidence regarding the targeted vessels’ activities.
For Trinidad and Tobago, a nation with a multi-million dollar fishing industry vital to thousands of families, the stakes are particularly high. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has taken a hardline stance, supporting U.S. military efforts and even expressing willingness to grant the U.S. access to Trinidad and Tobago to combat Venezuelan aggression against Guyana. “Drug cartels have contributed to pain and suffering in her country,” she said, urging the U.S. to “kill them all violently.” This rhetoric, however, has not gone unnoticed by Venezuela. President Nicolás Maduro has condemned the U.S. military buildup and placed his country’s military and civilians on high alert, viewing Persad-Bissessar’s comments as tantamount to a declaration of war.
Meanwhile, the daily reality for fishermen like Kamal Bikeran is changing. “You have to watch out,” Bikeran told AP, explaining that his crew now sticks to shallower waters, wary of both pirates and military encounters. “The U.S. has come there, and the Venezuelan military is saying they are more present, so you have to watch out. At any point in time, outside there, you could be taken out.” The increased military presence, combined with the ever-present threat of piracy, has led to a significant decrease in boat traffic and catches, threatening the economic survival of entire communities.
President Trump himself remarked on this chilling effect, noting in early September, “Boat traffic is substantially down. I don’t even know about fishermen. They may say, ‘I’m not getting on the boat.’” The uncertainty has left fishermen like Shyam Hajarie, who has spent over 40 years at sea, praying for a peaceful resolution. “Just praying that everything works out with this situation with Venezuela and the U.S.,” Hajarie said. “That they make peace and not war.”
Caribbean leaders are also seeking to de-escalate the situation. During the United Nations General Assembly in late September, they referred to the region as a “zone of peace.” Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley called for dialogue to avert a war between the U.S. and Venezuela, while St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves described the militarization of regional waters as “exceedingly troubling.”
Yet, as political leaders debate and militaries maneuver, the fate of the region’s fishermen hangs in the balance. With no official statement yet from the Jamaican government and only tepid reassurances from authorities, many in the fishing community feel left to navigate these perilous waters on their own—hoping for clearer guidance, safer seas, and a return to the quiet rhythms of life on the Caribbean waves.
