Iraqis hooked on 'mazgouf' dream of fish farm bonanza

5-28-08
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20080528-0859-iraq-fish-.html

Iraqis are very fond of 'mazgouf', fish split open and cooked over a wood fire.

But years of conflict and environmental woes have cut the supply of much-prized river fish, the preferred ingredient to make the dish.

The U.S. government is footing the bill for millions of three-month-old carp that will be sent out from Iraq's largest hatchery to about 1,000 fish farms in Babil province, a traditional fish farming area south of Baghdad. There, they will grow to full size before being sold.

The Euphrates Fish Farm began life as one of Saddam's showpiece projects in 1979, within sight of the imposing palace Saddam built on the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon.

Years of war, sanctions and strife reduced it to a shadow of its former self. Production of baby fish, known as fingerlings, dropped to fewer than 2 million last year, down from 12 million in the early 1990s.

This year, output is back up to 12 million again, thanks to $3.6 million in U.S. aid. Fully grown, those fish could be worth about $180 million in Iraqi markets.