Fishermen who work on Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo say fish stocks are decreasing as pollution grows worse.
委内瑞拉马拉开波湖的渔民表示，随着污染加剧，鱼类种群正在减少。
Lake Maracaibo is 600 kilometers west of Venezuela's capital Caracas. It is a center of Venezuela's oil production.
马拉开波湖位于委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯以西600公里处。它是委内瑞拉的石油生产中心。
But environmentalists say it is becoming a polluted wasteland. They blame too much oil exploration, poor maintenance, outdated infrastructure and a lack of waste treatment systems.
但环保人士表示，这里正逐步成为一片被污染的荒地。他们归咎于石油勘探过多、维护不善、基础设施落后和缺乏废物处理系统。
There are thousands of kilometers of pipelines under the lake and oil leaks take place often.
湖面下有数千公里长的管道，石油泄漏经常发生。
The lake is fed by many rivers and streams. But it also receives wastewater from Zulia, Mérida and Trujillo states, where 5.3 million people live. Waste from the most distant state of Norte de Santander also drains into the lake.
该湖有许多河流和溪流流入。但它也容纳来自祖利亚州、梅里达州和特鲁希略州的废水，这些州有530万人居住。来自最遥远的北桑坦德州的废物也排入该湖。
Beltrán Briceno teaches at the University of Zulia and is head of the research laboratory in the town of Maracaibo. He said fertilizers, human waste and other chemicals flow into Lake Maracaibo. This leads to high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. These substances support the growth of cyanobacteria, which can have poisonous effects on water animals and humans. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are linked with mass fish deaths.
贝尔特兰·布里塞诺在祖利亚大学任教，也是马拉开波镇研究实验室的负责人。他说化肥、人类排泄物和其他化学物质流入马拉开波湖。这导致氮和磷浓度高。这些物质有益于蓝藻的生长，蓝藻会对水生动物和人类产生有毒影响。蓝藻或蓝绿藻与大量鱼类死亡有关。
Jose Aular is a 61-year-old fisherman. He said fish do not come near the shore because of the algae. He also said the water has caused his skin to become unhealthy with a rash.
何塞·阿乌拉是一名61岁的渔民。他说，由于藻类的存在，鱼类不会靠近湖岸。他还说，湖水导致他的皮肤变得不健康，并出现皮疹。
In the early 1900s, Lake Maracaibo was the heart of Venezuela's oil industry. Environmentalists say the pollution worsened in the early 1930s, when a canal was dug and connected the lake with the Caribbean Sea. The project permitted large oil tankers to navigate the lake but also let seawater into the lake. This killed some freshwater life.
20世纪初，马拉开波湖是委内瑞拉石油工业的中心。环保人士说，污染在20世纪30年代初恶化，当时开凿了一条运河，将该湖与加勒比海连接起来。该项目让大型油轮得以在湖中航行，但也让海水流入湖中。这杀死了一些淡水生物。
Yordi Vicuna is a 33-year-old fisherman. He said that in the past, "you could go out fishing and catch 700 (kilograms) of shrimp." But now, he said, it takes fishermen several days to catch only eight kilograms of shrimp.
约迪·维库纳是一名33岁的渔民。他说，过去，“你可以出去捕鱼，一次捕到700公斤虾。”他说，但现在渔民好几天才能捕到8公斤虾。
Fishermen avoid using their nets because they fear they will be damaged. Crude oil covers boats and damages fishing nets and boat motors, Vicuna said.
渔民们避免使用渔网，因为他们担心渔网会被损坏。维库纳说，原油覆盖了船只，损坏了渔网和船只马达。
Briceno said many years of worsening pollution are being felt near the lakeshore with bad smells, oil slicks and poisonous algae.
布里塞诺说，湖岸附近多年来污染不断恶化，有臭味、浮油和有毒藻类。
Briceno warned, "There is no magic formula" to rescue the lake if people continue to pollute it.
布里塞诺警告说，如果人们继续污染湖泊，“没有什么神奇方法”可以拯救湖泊。
I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
我是小马里奥·里特。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)