Venezuelan women are increasingly taking up the grueling work of fishing in the Caribbean

By REGINA GARCIA CANO and MATÍAS DELACROIX
Associated Press

CHUAO, Venezuela (AP) — Dozens of people hop onto boats every day along Venezuela’s vast Caribbean coast to go fishing on 12-hour shifts. Their tanned bodies have scars or are missing fingers after years of fishing. Most of them are men, but in the coastal communities of Choroni and Chuao women are increasingly among them. The women may be joining a family tradition of fishing, or in some cases launching new careers after losing jobs during Venezuela’s economic crisis, enlisting in the physically demanding work that may pay $8 after five consecutive 12-hour shifts. That’s not a lot of money but it is more than the nationwide $5 monthly minimum wage.