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