Ecuadorian fishermen say they were attacked at sea by a U.S. vessel

Ecuadorian fishermen say they were attacked at sea by a U.S. vessel

From State of the World from NPR by NPR

May 26, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

Ecuadorian fishermen recount being attacked at sea by a U.S.-flagged vessel amidst ongoing maritime strikes.

In recent months, a number of fishermen in Ecuador say a U.S.-flagged vessel attacked them at sea and destroyed their boats. Their accounts come amid more than 50 U.S. maritime strikes across the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean that have killed nearly 200 people. The Trump administration says the operations are lawful and aimed at alleged narco-traffickers, but has not publicly provided evidence or identified victims. We meet fishing families trying to make sense of what they say happened, and the lives upended in its aftermath. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Topics covered

  • fishing
  • U.S. military operations
  • Ecuador
  • maritime conflict
  • narco-trafficking
  • fishermen accounts

Keywords

  • Ecuador
  • fishermen
  • U.S. vessel
  • maritime strikes
  • Trump administration
  • narco-traffickers
  • fishing families

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Trump administration

Places: Ecuador, Eastern Pacific, Caribbean

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