WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So we've talked about how climate change can mess with food supply, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but conflict can, too. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Farmers flee, ports get cut off, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and bombs can devastate the utilities that irrigate land, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and keep the water clean. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That's exactly what happened in Iraq. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it's changing how people get the key ingredient in their national dish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Tarek) For thousands of years, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 these marshes have provided the people of Southern Iraq with fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Lots and lots of fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Carp has been the favorite here, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 going back all the way to when this area was part of Babylonia. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is grilled and seasoned to make masgouf, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which is now known as Iraq's national dish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Decades of war, invasion, and political instability 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 have devastated the country's waterways. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But fish's place in Iraqi culture is as strong as ever. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What has changed is how people get it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 TASTE OF A NATION 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Tarek) We are in the Dhi Qar marshes, it's four in the morning, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we're heading out with some fishermen who use electricity to catch their fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's an illegal form of fishing, but it's one way for people to make money. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Samer) This is the generator, and this is the converter. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 It outputs two cables, live and ground. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 The ground cable goes into the water. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 And the live cable is attached to my net here. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 So the power stuns the fish to my net, and I scoop it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Tarek) Samer Kadhim comes to the marshes five times a week for electrofishing, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a method his father taught him 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that helps him to quickly catch large amounts of fish at once. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Electrofishing is illegal in most countries, including Iraq, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it can destroy ecosystems and already fragile fish populations. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Tarek) What kind of fish do you catch here? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Samer) We fish carp, tilapia, and boshbosh. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 This is tilapia. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 And this is boshbosh. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 Since it's an illegal job, aren't you afraid of getting arrested? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 No, I'm not afraid. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 The police have nothing to do with it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 They don't arrest you. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 It's how we get our daily income. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 There are four or five people in each house, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 a family. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 We have God and fishing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 ♪ And I sharpen them ♪ 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 ♪ the knives of time, I sharpen them ♪ 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 ♪ I sharpen them, and my father never had mercy on me ♪ 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Abu Haider is a fisherman and a tour guide. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He grew up in the marshes, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 watched them changed, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and in the 90s, mourn their loss. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That's when then president Saddam Hussein drain the marshes, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Middle East largest wetlands 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as a military strategy to control his opposition. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Water return to the marshes in 2003, but it wasn't the same. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Abu Haider) When we lived here, the area was not like this. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 The water was sweet. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 We didn't filter the water, and drank directly from the marsh. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 If everything remains as it is, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 what do you think would happen 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 in the marshes and its life in the future? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 The first shortage will be in fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 The fish resources will dry out. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Tarek) Pollution has made losing fish, or at least one safe enough to eat, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a very real and looming threat. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But, for now, fish is savored, especially when it comes to masgouf, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and preparation is taken very seriously. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Abu Haider) So, let's get them in the the dishes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 Be careful. Don't burn your hand. Turn it upside down. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 Move it like this. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Tarek) Mmmm... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Tarek) This is marshland fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Abu Haider) Marshland fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 (Tarek) Very tasty. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 How much has the taste of this fish changed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 in comparison to fish back in the day? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 The days in the past were better. In the '80s. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 In the '80s, the water was clean and clear. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1 It was tastier than this fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Tarek) The water from the marshes flows south to Basra, Iraq's fish capital. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The quality of water here got so bad, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that in 2018 more than 100,000 people were hospitalized 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with symptoms related to contaminated water. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Widespread protests broke out against what people believe caused the crisis-- 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 government negligence and corruption. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The situation did little to change Basra's reputation for fish, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but restaurants have had to adjust. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Benam Ma'a Shaari] is one of the city's most popular spots, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and specializes in masgouf. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We usually bring the fish and everyday is fresh. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is actually raised in ponds, it's not really from the river, you know. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Tarek) They've turned away from wild caught fish 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in favor of those raised on farms, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which many owners see as safer and more dependable. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I thought if I tell you girls let's go. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Beyond the Sileo manage a chromium Drama Camp simcha to schooi Allah 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and money in 17. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How important is most goof to Iraq? Pince-nez 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 group has really specific importance to be frank with you. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It has special taste, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you know, like even the the time they spend one day grow the fish, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it gives value to the dish. So people loves it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 All the factors that threaten the country's fish are not going away anytime soon. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but in some ways they've made fish, more appreciated, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a way to feel connected to what Iraq is and has been.