WEBVTT

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So we've talked about 
how climate change

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can mess with food supply,

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but conflict can too.

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Farmers flee, ports get cut off,

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and bombs can devastate 
the utilities that irrigate land,

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and keep the water clean.

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That's exactly what happened in Iraq.

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And it's changing how people get 
the key ingredient in their national dish.

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(Tarek) <i>For thousands of years,</i>

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<i>these marshes have provided
the people of southern Iraq with fish.</i>

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<i>Lots and lots of fish.</i>

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<i>Carp has been the favorite here,</i>

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<i>going back all the way to 
when this area was part of Babylonia.</i>

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<i>It is grilled and seasoned 
to make masgouf,</i>

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<i>which is now known
as Iraq's national dish.</i>

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<i>Decades of war, invasion, 
and political instability</i>

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<i>have devastated the country's waterways.</i>

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<i>But fish's place in Iraqi culture
is as strong as ever.</i>

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<i>What has changed is how people get it.</i>

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TASTE OF A NATION

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(Tarek) We are in the [Central] marshes.

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It's four in the morning,

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we're heading out with some fishermen 
who use electricity to catch their fish.

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It's an illegal form of fishing,

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but it's one way for people to make money.

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(Samer) This is the generator, 
and this is the converter.

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It outputs two cables, live and ground.

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The ground cable goes into the water.

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And the live cable
is attached to my net here.

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So the power stuns the fish to my net,
and I scoop it.

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(Tarek) <i>Samer Kadhim comes to the marshes
five times a week for electrofishing,</i>

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<i>a method his father taught him</i>

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<i>that helps him to quickly catch
large amounts of fish at once.</i>

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<i>Electrofishing is illegal 
in most countries, including Iraq,</i>

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<i>because it can destroy ecosystems 
and already fragile fish populations.</i>

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(Tarek) What kind of fish
do you catch here?

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(Samer) We fish carp,
tilapia, and boshbosh.

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This is tilapia.

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And this is boshbosh.

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Since it's an illegal job,
aren't you afraid of getting arrested?

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No, I'm not afraid.

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The police have nothing to do with it.

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They don't arrest you.

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It's how we get our daily income.

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There are four or five people
in each house,

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a family.

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We have God and fishing.

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<i>♪ And I sharpen them ♪</i>

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<i>♪ The knives of time, I sharpen them ♪</i>

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<i>♪ I sharpen them, and my father
never had mercy on me ♪</i>

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(Tarek) <i>Abu Haider is a fisherman 
and a tour guide.</i>

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<i>He grew up in the marshes,</i>

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<i>watched them changed,</i>

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<i>and in the '90s mourn their loss.</i>

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<i>That's when then president
Saddam Hussein drained the marshes--</i>

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<i>the Middle East largest wetlands--</i>

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<i>as a military strategy
to control his opposition.</i>

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<i>Water returned to the marshes in 2003,
but it wasn't the same.</i>

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(Abu Haider) When we lived here,
the area was not like this.

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The water was sweet.

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We didn't filter the water,
and drank directly from the marsh.

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If everything remains as it is,

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what do you think would happen

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in the marshes and its life in the future?

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The first shortage will be in fish.

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The fish resources will dry out.

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(Tarek) <i>Pollution has made losing fish,
or at least one safe enough to eat,</i>

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<i>a very real and looming threat.</i>

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<i>But, for now, fish is savored, 
especially when it comes to masgouf,</i>

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<i>and preparation is taken very seriously.</i>

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(Abu Haider) So, let's get them
in the the dishes.

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Be careful. Don't burn your hand.
Turn it upside down.

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Move it like this.

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(Tarek) This is marshland fish.

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(Abu Haider) Marshland fish.

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(Tarek) Very tasty.

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How much has the taste 
of this fish changed

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in comparison to fish back in the day?

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The days in the past were better.
In the '80s.

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In the '80s, the water
was clean and clear.

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It was tastier than this fish.

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(Tarek) <i>The water from the marshes 
flows south to Basra, Iraq's fish capital.</i>

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<i>The quality of water here got so bad,</i>

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<i>that in 2018, more than 100,000 people 
were hospitalized</i>

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<i>with symptoms related
to contaminated water.</i>

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<i>Widespread protests broke out against
what people believe caused the crisis--</i>

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<i>government negligence and corruption.</i>

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<i>The situation did little to change
Basra's reputation for fish,</i>

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<i>but restaurants have had to adjust.</i>

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<i>[Mata'am Ma'a Shaari] is one of the city's
most popular spots,</i>

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<i>and specializes in masgouf.</i>

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We usually bring the fish
and every day is fresh.

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This is actually raised in ponds,
it's not really from the river, you know.

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(Tarek) <i>They've turned away 
from wild caught fish</i>

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<i>in favor of those raised on farms,</i>

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<i>which many owners see 
as safer and more dependable.</i>

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This cutting method
is specific to masgouf.

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You go from the head to the tail.

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(Tarek) On a day like today,
which is Friday,

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how many fish do you grill?

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(Mahmoud) Well, around 80 or 70.

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(Tarek) How important
is masgouf to Iraqis?

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Masgouf has really specific importance, 
to be frank with you.

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It has a special taste, you know,

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like even the time they spend
when they grow the fish,

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it gives value to the dish.

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So people love it.

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(Tarek) <i>All the factors that threaten 
the country's fish</i>

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<i>are not going away anytime soon.</i>

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<i>But in some ways,
they've made fish more appreciated,</i>

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<i>a way to feel connected to what Iraq is...</i>

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<i>and has been.</i>