Jessica Partida, 42, lives with her husband Enrique Olivares and four children in Cabimas, a town on the shore of Lake Maracaibo. She says she cannot afford the $30 ultrasound her kidneys need, and Enrique cannot fish because oil on the lake has contaminated the shrimp he uses as bait.

The lake, once a symbol of Venezuela’s oil wealth, is now dotted with rusting rigs and pumpjacks. Many of these structures are idle, and they leak oil and gas into the water. The Observatory of Political Ecology of Venezuela recorded more than 80 oil spills in 2022, most of them near the lake.

Fishermen report that their catches have dropped about 40% in recent years because the oil spreads across the surface and sticks to nets. “When there’s a lot of oil, we don’t do anything,” says Gregory Díaz, a 36‑year‑old fisherman. Without shrimp bait, Enrique cannot set his lines, and the family loses its main source of income.

The constant contact with oil has also taken a toll on health. Children who swim in the lake come out stained, and residents say the fumes trigger asthma and other breathing problems. Jessica’s need for a kidney ultrasound highlights how medical care is out of reach for many families living in the polluted environment.

A U.S.–Venezuela oil deal gives North American Blue Energy Partners a 100‑year concession over 17 fields and promises to double production, but the agreement includes no cleanup provisions for the lake.

Local residents say cleaning the water is their top priority. They want the oil companies to fund a cleanup and to replace damaged fishing nets. While some hope the new oil money will eventually improve their lives, many, like Enrique, have not yet seen any economic change.