Before the Canal

Brian Josue, 10, waits for a fishing boat on the eastern shore of Lake Nicaragua, near the town of San Miguelito. The Nicaragua canal will cut through the lake, the largest in Central America, risking saltwater contamination of the fragile ecosystem. (Photo: Ivan Kashinsky)

Fisherman sell their catch in San Miguelito, just north of where the canal will cut through Lake Nicaragua. Photo: Ivan Kashinsky

Franklin Briceño, an environmental lawyer, who is against the way his government is giving the Chinese company so much freedom in the construction of the Canal Interoceánico, stands by Lake Nicaragua in San Miguelito, Nicaragua. He believe that Nicaraguans are beggars sitting on a chest of gold, and they should learn how take advantage of their own natural resources instead of letting other countries take advantage of them.