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By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Divison
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Efforts are underway to revitalize the fish farming industry throughout Arab Jabour and Hawr Rajab.
Although Iraqis have been practicing "aquaculture" for thousands of years, there has been a severe decrease in the number of farms since the 1980s. Pre-war Iraq supported 2,000 fish farms; by 2008 there were only 500 functioning farms.
While the supply has decreased, the demand has remained constant. Baghdad fish markets routinely sell out of fish well before closing time. Fish is a cheaper source of protein in Iraq; pound for pound, it is much less expensive than poultry, beef or lamb.
To meet the demand for fish, the Baghdad-7 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, is focusing much of its efforts on that market.
Along the demand, other favorable conditions also make it a ripe time to begin working on the industry, said Mike Stevens, ePRT agricultural adviser.
"Now we got the canals working, and the Yusifiyah pump station, so Iraqis can draw water (from the Tigris)," he said.
Drawn water can be used to fill earthen ditches stocked with fish, allowing them to breed and create a profitable business, Steven said.
Crop farmers will also benefit from the water supply because the pump station will provide cleaner water in the area, Stevens said. Water from the Tigris is salty, and the fish act as a filter to the salt. Thus, water drawn from the fish farms has a smaller salt content, which is better for growing crops.
Currently the ePRT is working on introducing 26 fish farms. The initial project is focused on Arab Jabour, with future farms to be developed in the Hawr Rajab and Adwaniyah areas once pumps there are fixed.
Once up and running, the farms should help generate jobs and create favorable trade between the area and Baghdad, Steven said.
Getting the farms up and running should also be a fairly simple process. Baby carp, or fingerlings, are inexpensive and the initial cost can easily be absorbed by the fish farmers. For business without the necessary start-up capital, microgrants will be made available, Stevens said.
Fingerlings are also readily available in Baghdad, and carp breeds available are regular carp, silver carp and grass carp, which are all hearty fish able to survive and thrive in the Iraqi climate, Stevens said.
The addition of fish farms will be the second large project undertaken to restore the fishing industry in the area.
On, March 8, a portion of the Tigris River was reopened to fishermen from 7 a.m. through 5 p.m. each day. The permissive fishing zone is the first time fishers will be permitted on the river since Coalition surge forces came into the area in June of last year.
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2008 09:51 |
| Story ID: | 17410 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 279 |
| Downloads: | 227 |
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