1 00:00:01,907 --> 00:00:03,814 So we've talked about how climate change 2 00:00:03,814 --> 00:00:05,920 can mess with food supply, 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:06,676 but conflict can too. 4 00:00:06,676 --> 00:00:09,620 Farmers flee, ports get cut off, 5 00:00:09,620 --> 00:00:11,508 and bombs can devastate the utilities that irrigate land, 6 00:00:11,508 --> 00:00:12,844 and keep the water clean. 7 00:00:12,844 --> 00:00:14,766 That's exactly what happened in Iraq. 8 00:00:14,766 --> 00:00:18,239 And it's changing how people get the key ingredient in their national dish. 9 00:00:22,292 --> 00:00:23,496 (Tarek) For thousands of years, 10 00:00:23,496 --> 00:00:27,260 these marshes have provided the people of southern Iraq with fish. 11 00:00:28,340 --> 00:00:29,512 Lots and lots of fish. 12 00:00:30,382 --> 00:00:32,198 Carp has been the favorite here, 13 00:00:32,198 --> 00:00:35,464 going back all the way to when this area was part of Babylonia. 14 00:00:36,771 --> 00:00:39,203 It is grilled and seasoned to make masgouf, 15 00:00:39,203 --> 00:00:41,976 which is now known as Iraq's national dish. 16 00:00:42,850 --> 00:00:45,714 Decades of war, invasion, and political instability 17 00:00:45,714 --> 00:00:48,179 have devastated the country's waterways. 18 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:53,900 But fish's place in Iraqi culture is as strong as ever. 19 00:00:53,558 --> 00:00:56,260 What has changed is how people get it. 20 00:00:57,853 --> 00:01:01,312 TASTE OF A NATION 21 00:01:12,176 --> 00:01:13,667 (Tarek) We are in the [Central] marshes. 22 00:01:13,667 --> 00:01:14,999 It's four in the morning, 23 00:01:14,999 --> 00:01:18,789 we're heading out with some fishermen who use electricity to catch their fish. 24 00:01:19,638 --> 00:01:21,312 It's an illegal form of fishing, 25 00:01:21,312 --> 00:01:23,980 but it's one way for people to make money. 26 00:01:26,870 --> 00:01:31,151 (Samer) This is the generator, and this is the converter. 27 00:01:31,151 --> 00:01:33,333 It outputs two cables, live and ground. 28 00:01:33,333 --> 00:01:35,352 The ground cable goes into the water. 29 00:01:36,226 --> 00:01:38,394 And the live cable is attached to my net here. 30 00:01:46,630 --> 00:01:48,985 So the power stuns the fish to my net, and I scoop it. 31 00:01:51,595 --> 00:01:55,561 (Tarek) Samer Kadhim comes to the marshes five times a week for electrofishing, 32 00:01:55,561 --> 00:01:57,166 a method his father taught him 33 00:01:57,166 --> 00:02:00,487 that helps him to quickly catch large amounts of fish at once. 34 00:02:03,831 --> 00:02:07,594 Electrofishing is illegal in most countries, including Iraq, 35 00:02:07,594 --> 00:02:11,932 because it can destroy ecosystems and already fragile fish populations. 36 00:02:13,762 --> 00:02:15,621 (Tarek) What kind of fish do you catch here? 37 00:02:15,621 --> 00:02:19,380 (Samer) We fish carp, tilapia, and boshbosh. 38 00:02:19,577 --> 00:02:20,749 This is tilapia. 39 00:02:21,603 --> 00:02:22,832 And this is boshbosh. 40 00:02:23,181 --> 00:02:27,607 Since it's an illegal job, aren't you afraid of getting arrested? 41 00:02:27,607 --> 00:02:29,378 No, I'm not afraid. 42 00:02:29,378 --> 00:02:31,224 The police have nothing to do with it. 43 00:02:31,224 --> 00:02:33,750 They don't arrest you. 44 00:02:33,954 --> 00:02:35,907 It's how we get our daily income. 45 00:02:36,832 --> 00:02:40,936 There are four or five people in each house, 46 00:02:40,936 --> 00:02:42,113 a family. 47 00:02:42,627 --> 00:02:43,922 We have God and fishing. 48 00:02:46,226 --> 00:02:49,443 ♪ And I sharpen them ♪ 49 00:02:49,443 --> 00:02:54,685 ♪ The knives of time, I sharpen them ♪ 50 00:02:54,962 --> 00:03:01,509 ♪ I sharpen them, and my father never had mercy on me ♪ 51 00:03:03,204 --> 00:03:06,251 (Tarek) Abu Haider is a fisherman and a tour guide. 52 00:03:06,251 --> 00:03:07,917 He grew up in the marshes, 53 00:03:07,917 --> 00:03:09,367 watched them changed, 54 00:03:09,367 --> 00:03:11,376 and in the '90s mourn their loss. 55 00:03:12,293 --> 00:03:16,680 That's when then president Saddam Hussein drained the marshes-- 56 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:18,160 the Middle East largest wetlands-- 57 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,614 as a military strategy to control his opposition. 58 00:03:21,531 --> 00:03:25,578 Water returned to the marshes in 2003, but it wasn't the same. 59 00:03:30,821 --> 00:03:34,477 (Abu Haider) When we lived here, the area was not like this. 60 00:03:34,477 --> 00:03:36,170 The water was sweet. 61 00:03:36,170 --> 00:03:41,410 We didn't filter the water, and drank directly from the marsh. 62 00:03:41,410 --> 00:03:44,208 If everything remains as it is, 63 00:03:44,208 --> 00:03:45,922 what do you think would happen 64 00:03:45,922 --> 00:03:48,870 in the marshes and its life in the future? 65 00:03:48,333 --> 00:03:50,489 The first shortage will be in fish. 66 00:03:52,980 --> 00:03:55,480 The fish resources will dry out. 67 00:03:58,361 --> 00:04:01,909 (Tarek) Pollution has made losing fish, or at least one safe enough to eat, 68 00:04:01,909 --> 00:04:03,682 a very real and looming threat. 69 00:04:04,803 --> 00:04:08,586 But, for now, fish is savored, especially when it comes to masgouf, 70 00:04:10,764 --> 00:04:13,343 and preparation is taken very seriously. 71 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:18,895 (Abu Haider) So, let's get them in the the dishes. 72 00:04:18,895 --> 00:04:21,428 Be careful. Don't burn your hand. Turn it upside down. 73 00:04:22,498 --> 00:04:24,302 Move it like this. 74 00:04:30,129 --> 00:04:31,605 (Tarek) This is marshland fish. 75 00:04:31,605 --> 00:04:32,962 (Abu Haider) Marshland fish. 76 00:04:34,171 --> 00:04:35,383 (Tarek) Very tasty. 77 00:04:37,267 --> 00:04:39,833 How much has the taste of this fish changed 78 00:04:39,833 --> 00:04:41,880 in comparison to fish back in the day? 79 00:04:42,530 --> 00:04:46,637 The days in the past were better. In the '80s. 80 00:04:46,637 --> 00:04:48,776 In the '80s, the water was clean and clear. 81 00:04:49,251 --> 00:04:51,271 It was tastier than this fish. 82 00:04:53,314 --> 00:04:58,432 (Tarek) The water from the marshes flows south to Basra, Iraq's fish capital. 83 00:04:59,294 --> 00:05:02,300 The quality of water here got so bad, 84 00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:05,709 that in 2018, more than 100,000 people were hospitalized 85 00:05:05,709 --> 00:05:08,140 with symptoms related to contaminated water. 86 00:05:09,297 --> 00:05:13,318 Widespread protests broke out against what people believe caused the crisis-- 87 00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:16,227 government negligence and corruption. 88 00:05:17,275 --> 00:05:21,477 The situation did little to change Basra's reputation for fish, 89 00:05:21,477 --> 00:05:23,553 but restaurants have had to adjust. 90 00:05:27,618 --> 00:05:31,114 [Mata'am Ma'a Shaari] is one of the city's most popular spots, 91 00:05:31,114 --> 00:05:32,644 and specializes in masgouf. 92 00:05:35,144 --> 00:05:38,788 We usually bring the fish and every day is fresh. 93 00:05:38,938 --> 00:05:43,563 This is actually raised in ponds, it's not really from the river, you know. 94 00:05:44,461 --> 00:05:46,848 (Tarek) They've turned away from wild caught fish 95 00:05:46,848 --> 00:05:48,972 in favor of those raised on farms, 96 00:05:48,972 --> 00:05:52,178 which many owners see as safer and more dependable. 97 00:05:57,899 --> 00:06:01,574 This cutting method is specific to masgouf. 98 00:06:01,574 --> 00:06:03,603 You go from the head to the tail. 99 00:06:08,835 --> 00:06:12,270 (Tarek) On a day like today, which is Friday, 100 00:06:12,270 --> 00:06:13,400 how many fish do you grill? 101 00:06:13,658 --> 00:06:17,141 (Mahmoud) Well, around 80 or 70. 102 00:06:23,196 --> 00:06:27,709 (Tarek) How important is masgouf to Iraqis? 103 00:06:27,709 --> 00:06:32,130 Masgouf has really specific importance, to be frank with you. 104 00:06:32,130 --> 00:06:33,712 It has a special taste, you know, 105 00:06:33,712 --> 00:06:37,130 like even the time they spend when they grow the fish, 106 00:06:37,130 --> 00:06:39,158 it gives value to the dish. 107 00:06:39,158 --> 00:06:40,449 So people love it. 108 00:06:41,464 --> 00:06:44,175 (Tarek) All the factors that threaten the country's fish 109 00:06:44,175 --> 00:06:46,198 are not going away anytime soon. 110 00:06:47,453 --> 00:06:50,682 But in some ways, they've made fish more appreciated, 111 00:06:51,491 --> 00:06:54,480 a way to feel connected to what Iraq is... 112 00:06:54,446 --> 00:06:55,396 and has been.