El Salvador Fisherman: Miracle At Sea Or Fishy Story?

El Salvador fisherman Jose Salvador Alvarenga, 37, set out to sea from Southern Mexico in December 2012 with a teenage companion. They were fishing for sharks, which Alvarenga sells for $1.90 per pound.

The boat blew off course and was adrift in the Pacific Ocean for nearly 14 months before washing ashore in the Marshall Islands, roughly 6,200 miles away.

According to a Reutersreport, Alvarenga claims that his teenage companion died about a month into the ordeal, but that he was able to survive by catching and eating fish, birds and turtles and drinking rain water and turtle blood.

Authorities found Alvarenga stranded on a coral atoll, where he apparently landed sometime over the weekend. According to a Fox News Latino report, Alvarenga has since been in contact with his family in El Salvador, who hail his discovery as a miracle.

His mother, who claims they have not seen the El Salvador fisherman in over eight years, said through tears, “We thought he was dead already. This is a miracle, glory to God.”

His 14 year old daughter, who says that she does not remember him, said, “I’m so very happy to know he’s alive. He’s alive and I’m going to see him.”

However, not everyone is so quick to believe the fisherman’s tale of survival at sea. Some have noted that several things about Alvarenga’s story just don’t seem to add up.

An Anchorage Daily News report mentions several apparent discrepancies.

For one thing, locals from Chiapas, Mexico claim Alvarenga has been missing since November. The El Salvador fisherman claims he set out to sea in late December.

Villermino “Willie” Rodriguez, a fishing boat owner for whom Alvarenga had worked, claims that Alvarenga departed on his fishing trip despite warnings of bad weather. Rodriguez had this to say about the El Salvador fisherman’s story:

“You can imagine a lot of things, but that is something he should explain. There are things that don’t match up. I knew him, but I have a lot of doubts.”

Another thing that bothered some is that Alvarenga did not appear to be as badly sunburned as would be expected of a man who had been out in the elements for 13 or 14 months.

Marshall Island authorities seem unconvinced but he man’s story. Gee Bing, the island nation’s acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs, said this:

“I’m not sure if I believe his story. When we saw him, he was not really thin compared to other survivors in the past. I may have some doubts. Once we start communicating with where he’s from, we’ll be able to find out more information.”

What do you think? Is this a true story of a miraculous survival at sea, or is El Salvador fisherman Jose Salvador Alvarenga telling us a fish story?