Drought drives economic exodus from Iraq's rivers and marshlands

FILE PHOTO: A general view shows a boat on dry ground in low water levels at the Basra Marshes in Basra province, Iraq, May 23, 2023. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani

BASRA/NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - On a sun-scorched shoreline in Iraq's southern marshlands, fishermen stood shovelling a grim catch: tiny fish gathered dead from the water, fit only for use as animal fodder.

Locals once lived self-sufficient lives in the vast freshwater areas that make up the UNESCO-recognized Iraqi Marshlands, filling their nets with varieties of fish and keeping large herds of water buffalo.