1
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So we've talked about how climate
change can mess with food supply,
2
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but conflict can, too.
3
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Farmers flee, ports get cut off,
4
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and bombs can devastate
the utilities that irrigate land,
5
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and keep the water clean.
6
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
That's exactly what happened in Iraq.
7
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And it's changing how people get
the key ingredient in their national dish.
8
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) For thousands of years,
9
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
these marshes have provided
the people of Southern Iraq with fish.
10
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Lots and lots of fish.
11
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Carp has been the favorite here,
12
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
going back all the way to
when this area was part of Babylonia.
13
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is grilled and seasoned
to make masgouf,
14
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which is now known
as Iraq's national dish.
15
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Decades of war, invasion,
and political instability
16
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
have devastated the country's waterways.
17
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But fish's place in Iraqi culture
is as strong as ever.
18
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What has changed is how people get it.
19
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
TASTE OF A NATION
20
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) We are in the Dhi Qar marshes,
it's four in the morning,
21
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we're heading out with some fishermen
who use electricity to catch their fish.
22
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.
23
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Samer) This is the generator,
and this is the converter.
24
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It outputs two cables, live and ground.
25
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The ground cable goes into the water.
26
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And the live cable
is attached to my net here.
27
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So the power stuns the fish to my net,
and I scoop it.
28
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) Samer Kadhim comes to the marshes
five times a week for electrofishing,
29
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a method his father taught him
30
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that helps him to quickly catch
large amounts of fish at once.
31
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Electrofishing is illegal
in most countries, including Iraq,
32
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because it can destroy ecosystems
and already fragile fish populations.
33
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) What kind of fish
do you catch here?
34
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Samer) We fish carp,
tilapia, and boshbosh.
35
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is tilapia.
36
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And this is boshbosh.
37
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Since it's an illegal job,
aren't you afraid of getting arrested?
38
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
No, I'm not afraid.
39
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The police have nothing to do with it.
40
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They don't arrest you.
41
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's how we get our daily income.
42
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
There are four or five people
in each house,
43
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a family.
44
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We have God and fishing.
45
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
♪ And I sharpen them ♪
46
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
♪ the knives of time, I sharpen them ♪
47
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
♪ I sharpen them, and my father
never had mercy on me ♪
48
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) Abu Haider is a fisherman
and a tour guide.
49
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He grew up in the marshes,
50
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
watched them changed,
51
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and in the 90s, mourn their loss.
52
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
That's when then president Saddam Hussein
drain the marshes,
53
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The Middle East largest wetlands
54
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as a military strategy
to control his opposition.
55
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Water return to the marshes in 2003,
but it wasn't the same.
56
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Abu Haider) When we lived here,
the area was not like this.
57
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The water was sweet.
58
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We didn't filter the water,
and drank directly from the marsh.
59
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
If everything remains as it is,
60
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what do you think would happen
61
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the marshes and its life in the future?
62
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The first shortage will be in fish.
63
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The fish resources will dry out.
64
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) Pollution has made losing fish,
or at least one safe enough to eat,
65
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a very real and looming threat.
66
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But, for now, fish is savored,
especially when it comes to masgouf,
67
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and preparation is taken very seriously.
68
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Abu Haider) So, let's get them
in the the dishes.
69
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Be careful. Don't burn your hand.
Turn it upside down.
70
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Move it like this.
71
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) Mmmm...
72
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
- This is marshland fish.
- Marshland fish.
73
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) Very tasty.
74
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How much has the taste
of this fish changed
75
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in comparison to fish back in the day?
76
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The days in the past were better.
In the '80s.
77
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In the '80s, the water
was clean and clear.
78
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It was tastier than this fish.
79
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) The water from the marshes
flows south to Basra, Iraq's fish capital.
80
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The quality of water here got so bad,
81
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that in 2018 more than 100,000 people
were hospitalized
82
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with symptoms related
to contaminated water.
83
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Widespread protests broke out against
what people believe caused the crisis--
84
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
government negligence and corruption.
85
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The situation did little to change
Basra's reputation for fish,
86
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but restaurants have had to adjust.
87
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
[Menam Ma'a Shaari] is one of the city's
most popular spots,
88
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and specializes in masgouf.
89
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We usually bring the fish
and everyday is fresh.
90
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is actually raised in ponds,
it's not really from the river, you know.
91
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) They've turned away
from wild caught fish
92
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in favor of those raised on farms,
93
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which many owners see
as safer and more dependable.
94
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This cutting method
is specific to masgouf.
95
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You go from the head to the tail.
96
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) On a day like today,
which is Friday,
97
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how many fish do you grill?
98
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Well, around 80 or 80 or 70.
99
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How important is masgouf to Iraqis?
100
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Masgouf has really specific importance,
to be frank with you.
101
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It has a special taste, you know,
102
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like even the time they spend
when they grow the fish,
103
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it gives value to the dish.
104
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So people loves it.
105
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Tarek) All the factors that threaten
the country's fish
106
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are not going away anytime soon.
107
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But in some ways,
they've made fish more appreciated,
108
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a way to feel connected to what Iraq is...
109
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and has been.