Fishermen who work on Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo say fish stocks are decreasing as pollution grows worse.
在委内瑞拉马拉开波湖工作的渔民表示,随着污染日益加重,鱼类资源正在减少。
Lake Maracaibo is 600 kilometers west of Venezuela's capital Caracas.
马拉开波湖位于委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯以西600公里处。
It is a center of Venezuela's oil production.
它是委内瑞拉的石油生产中心。
But environmentalists say it is becoming a polluted wasteland.
但环保人士表示,它正在变成一片被污染的荒地。
They blame too much oil exploration, poor maintenance, outdated infrastructure and a lack of waste treatment systems.
他们将其归咎于过度的石油勘探、维护不善、基础设施陈旧以及缺乏垃圾处理系统。
There are thousands of kilometers of pipelines under the lake and oil leaks take place often.
湖底有数千公里长的管道,漏油事件经常发生。
The lake is fed by many rivers and streams.
这个湖由许多河流和小溪汇聚而成。
But it also receives wastewater from Zulia, Merida and Trujillo states, where 5.3 million people live.
但它也接收来自苏利亚州、梅里达州和特鲁希略州的废水,这些州有530万人。
Waste from the most distant state of Norte de Santander also drains into the lake.
来自最遥远的北桑坦德州的废物也排入这个湖中。
Beltran Briceno teaches at the University of Zulia and is head of the research laboratory in the town of Maracaibo.
贝尔特兰·布里切诺在苏利亚大学任教,他是马拉开波镇研究实验室的负责人。
He said fertilizers, human waste and other chemicals flow into Lake Maracaibo.
他说,化肥、人类排泄物和其他化学物质流入马拉开波湖。
This leads to high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.
这导致了高浓度的氮和磷。
These substances support the growth of cyanobacteria, which can have poisonous effects on water animals and humans.
这些物质支持蓝绿藻的生长,而蓝绿藻可能会对水生动物和人类产生有毒影响。
Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are linked with mass fish deaths.
蓝绿藻与大量鱼类死亡有关。
Jose Aular is a 61-year-old fisherman.
何塞·阿拉尔是一名61岁的渔民。
He said fish do not come near the shore because of the algae.
他说,因为藻类,鱼不会靠近岸边。
He also said the water has caused his skin to become unhealthy with a rash.
他还说,湖水导致他的皮肤出现皮疹,变得不健康。
In the early 1900s, Lake Maracaibo was the heart of Venezuela's oil industry.
20世纪初,马拉开波湖是委内瑞拉石油工业的中心。
Environmentalists say the pollution worsened in the early 1930s, when a canal was dug and connected the lake with the Caribbean Sea.
环保人士表示,在20世纪30年代初,当一条运河被挖开,将该湖与加勒比海连接起来时,污染加剧了。
The project permitted large oil tankers to navigate the lake but also let seawater into the lake.
该项目允许大型油轮在湖上航行,但也允许海水进入湖内。
This killed some freshwater life.
这杀死了一些淡水生物。
Yordi Vicuna is a 33-year-old fisherman.
33岁的约尔迪·维库纳是一名渔民。
He said that in the past, "you could go out fishing and catch 700 (kilograms) of shrimp."
他说,以前出去捕鱼就能捕获700公斤虾。
But now, he said, it takes fishermen several days to catch only eight kilograms of shrimp.
但现在,他说,渔民需要几天时间才能捕到8公斤虾。
Fishermen avoid using their nets because they fear they will be damaged.
渔民避免使用渔网,因为他们担心渔网会被损坏。
Crude oil covers boats and damages fishing nets and boat motors, Vicuna said.
维库纳说,原油覆盖了船只,损坏了渔网和船的发动机。
Briceno said many years of worsening pollution are being felt near the lakeshore with bad smells, oil slicks and poisonous algae.
布里切诺说,在湖岸附近人们就可以感觉到多年来不断加重的污染,因为那里有难闻的气味、浮油和有毒的藻类。
Briceno warned, "There is no magic formula" to rescue the lake if people continue to pollute it.
布里切诺警告称,如果人们继续污染这片湖,“就没有什么灵丹妙药”可以拯救它了。
I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
小马里奥·里特为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译,未经授权请勿转载!