-
Not Synced
So we've talked about how climate
change can mess with food supply,
-
Not Synced
but conflict can, too.
-
Not Synced
Farmers flee, ports get cut off,
-
Not Synced
and bombs can devastate
the utilities that irrigate land,
-
Not Synced
and keep the water clean.
-
Not Synced
That's exactly what happened in Iraq.
-
Not Synced
And it's changing how people get
the key ingredient in their national dish.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) For thousands of years,
-
Not Synced
these marshes have provided
the people of Southern Iraq with fish.
-
Not Synced
Lots and lots of fish.
-
Not Synced
Carp has been the favorite here,
-
Not Synced
going back all the way to
when this area was part of Babylonia.
-
Not Synced
It is grilled and seasoned
to make masgouf,
-
Not Synced
which is now known
as Iraq's national dish.
-
Not Synced
Decades of war, invasion,
and political instability
-
Not Synced
have devastated the country's waterways.
-
Not Synced
But fish's place in Iraqi culture
is as strong as ever.
-
Not Synced
What has changed is how people get it.
-
Not Synced
TASTE OF A NATION
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) We are in the Dhi Qar marshes,
it's four in the morning,
-
Not Synced
we're heading out with some fishermen
who use electricity to catch their fish.
-
Not Synced
It's an illegal form of fishing,
but it's one way for people to make money.
-
Not Synced
(Samer) This is the generator,
and this is the converter.
-
Not Synced
It outputs two cables, live and ground.
-
Not Synced
The ground cable goes into the water.
-
Not Synced
And the live cable
is attached to my net here.
-
Not Synced
So the power stuns the fish to my net,
and I scoop it.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) Samer Kadhim comes to the marshes
five times a week for electrofishing,
-
Not Synced
a method his father taught him
-
Not Synced
that helps him to quickly catch
large amounts of fish at once.
-
Not Synced
Electrofishing is illegal
in most countries, including Iraq,
-
Not Synced
because it can destroy ecosystems
and already fragile fish populations.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) What kind of fish
do you catch here?
-
Not Synced
(Samer) We fish carp,
tilapia, and boshbosh.
-
Not Synced
This is tilapia.
-
Not Synced
And this is boshbosh.
-
Not Synced
Since it's an illegal job,
aren't you afraid of getting arrested?
-
Not Synced
No, I'm not afraid.
-
Not Synced
The police have nothing to do with it.
-
Not Synced
They don't arrest you.
-
Not Synced
It's how we get our daily income.
-
Not Synced
There are four or five people
in each house,
-
Not Synced
a family.
-
Not Synced
We have God and fishing.
-
Not Synced
♪ And I sharpen them ♪
-
Not Synced
♪ the knives of time, I sharpen them ♪
-
Not Synced
♪ I sharpen them, and my father
never had mercy on me ♪
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) Abu Haider is a fisherman
and a tour guide.
-
Not Synced
He grew up in the marshes,
-
Not Synced
watched them changed,
-
Not Synced
and in the 90s, mourn their loss.
-
Not Synced
That's when then president Saddam Hussein
drain the marshes,
-
Not Synced
The Middle East largest wetlands
-
Not Synced
as a military strategy
to control his opposition.
-
Not Synced
Water return to the marshes in 2003,
but it wasn't the same.
-
Not Synced
(Abu Haider) When we lived here,
the area was not like this.
-
Not Synced
The water was sweet.
-
Not Synced
We didn't filter the water,
and drank directly from the marsh.
-
Not Synced
If everything remains as it is,
-
Not Synced
what do you think would happen
-
Not Synced
in the marshes and its life in the future?
-
Not Synced
The first shortage will be in fish.
-
Not Synced
The fish resources will dry out.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) Pollution has made losing fish,
or at least one safe enough to eat,
-
Not Synced
a very real and looming threat.
-
Not Synced
But, for now, fish is savored,
especially when it comes to masgouf,
-
Not Synced
and preparation is taken very seriously.
-
Not Synced
(Abu Haider) So, let's get them
in the the dishes.
-
Not Synced
Be careful. Don't burn your hand.
Turn it upside down.
-
Not Synced
Move it like this.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) Mmmm...
-
Not Synced
- This is marshland fish.
- Marshland fish.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) Very tasty.
-
Not Synced
How much has the taste
of this fish changed
-
Not Synced
in comparison to fish back in the day?
-
Not Synced
The days in the past were better.
In the '80s.
-
Not Synced
In the '80s, the water
was clean and clear.
-
Not Synced
It was tastier than this fish.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) The water from the marshes
flows south to Basra, Iraq's fish capital.
-
Not Synced
The quality of water here got so bad,
-
Not Synced
that in 2018 more than 100,000 people
were hospitalized
-
Not Synced
with symptoms related
to contaminated water.
-
Not Synced
Widespread protests broke out against
what people believe caused the crisis--
-
Not Synced
government negligence and corruption.
-
Not Synced
The situation did little to change
Basra's reputation for fish,
-
Not Synced
but restaurants have had to adjust.
-
Not Synced
[Menam Ma'a Shaari] is one of the city's
most popular spots,
-
Not Synced
and specializes in masgouf.
-
Not Synced
We usually bring the fish
and everyday is fresh.
-
Not Synced
This is actually raised in ponds,
it's not really from the river, you know.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) They've turned away
from wild caught fish
-
Not Synced
in favor of those raised on farms,
-
Not Synced
which many owners see
as safer and more dependable.
-
Not Synced
This cutting method
is specific to masgouf.
-
Not Synced
You go from the head to the tail.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) On a day like today,
which is Friday,
-
Not Synced
how many fish do you grill?
-
Not Synced
Well, around 80 or 80 or 70.
-
Not Synced
How important is masgouf to Iraqis?
-
Not Synced
Masgouf has really specific importance,
to be frank with you.
-
Not Synced
It has a special taste, you know,
-
Not Synced
like even the time they spend
when they grow the fish,
-
Not Synced
it gives value to the dish.
-
Not Synced
So people loves it.
-
Not Synced
(Tarek) All the factors that threaten
the country's fish
-
Not Synced
are not going away anytime soon.
-
Not Synced
But in some ways,
they've made fish more appreciated,
-
Not Synced
a way to feel connected to what Iraq is...
-
Not Synced
and has been.