United States President Donald Trump has openly suggested that American security operations in regional waters have crippled fishing activity, a remark that is likely to deepen concern among Caribbean fishermen already fearful of working at sea.
Speaking during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump credited his new military campaign with sharply reducing the flow of drugs into the United States by water. In the same remarks, he appeared to acknowledge the broader fallout of the strategy.
“With our new military campaign, we have stopped record amounts of drugs coming into our country and virtually stopped it completely coming in by water or sea,” Trump said. “You probably noticed that we very seriously damaged their fishing industry. Also, nobody wants to go fishing anymore.”
The president’s remarks come at a sensitive time for Caribbean fishing communities, including in Saint Lucia, where fishermen are still grappling with fear following reports of a drone strike on a vessel that killed three people, allegedly including two Saint Lucians.
Many Caribbean vessels operate offshore before sunrise and often carry multiple engines for safety and long-distance travel. Fishermen argue that these practices are normal for the region but can be misinterpreted by external authorities as suspicious.
For generations, the sea has provided food and employment for coastal families.
Now fishermen say that their way of life is under pressure.
Trump framed the military campaign as part of a broader effort to secure American interests in the Western Hemisphere and combat drug cartels, terrorism and foreign interference. He highlighted the designation of certain cartels as terrorist organisations and described fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
But the president’s assertion that the fishing industry has been damaged and that people are avoiding the sea raises questions about how US security operations are affecting civilian maritime activity across the region.
Caribbean fishermen have long complained that increased surveillance and interdiction efforts can blur the line between traffickers and legitimate workers. The fear is that enforcement tactics designed for criminal networks may be sweeping up ordinary fishermen in the process.
In Saint Lucia, fishermen say the atmosphere at major landing sites has already changed, with fewer vessels venturing offshore and more families worried about safety at sea.
For some, the issue is not whether drug trafficking should be addressed. It is whether security operations are being conducted in a way that protects innocent lives and respects the economic realities of Caribbean communities.
Trump’s remarks are likely to intensify calls for Caribbean governments to seek clearer assurances from Washington about how maritime operations are conducted and how civilian fishermen are protected.
