Between cartel threats and U.S. airstrikes, Ecuador fishers have nowhere to hide

Fishers unload their fresh catch near a market in Manta, Ecuador, on June 4. | REUTERS

REUTERS

Aug 17, 2026

JARAMIJO/SAN MATEO, ECUADOR – At first light on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, small fishing boats fan out from the villages ⁠of San Mateo and Jaramijo, their bows pointed toward deeper waters and the promise of a good catch. Other boats come in from the rolling surf to battered coves, where crews unload baskets of tuna and swordfish and traders rush to inspect the day’s haul.

The scene belies the dangers some fishers face pushing out into these waters. Onshore, drug cartels have turned the small ports of Ecuador’s Manabi province into a cocaine-trafficking hub, extorting local fishers who are prized for their navigation skills.

The cartels present an impossible choice: earn more than a year’s legal income smuggling drugs, or face extortion, threats and violence.

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