Abstracts 11 - 20 of the papers from the
First Scientific Conference on the Rehabilitation of the Southern Iraq Marshes
Basrah, Iraq 11 - 12 April 2005

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Marshes Drying From the Point of View of the
Agricultural Workers in Maysan Province

 Mohammed A. Fayad and Malik H. Ali*

College of Agriculture, University of Basrah
*Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to determine the opinions of agricultural workers (including farmers and agricultural officers) in Maysan Province about the current dry condition of the Iraqi marshes. Data were collected by way of questionnaires. The questionnaire form included 20 questions. Ten of the questions were worded in such a way as to support maintaining the current dryness of the marshes, whereas the other 10 were statements against maintaining the marshes in their present dry state. The people taking the survey were asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with each of these statements. The result of the survey showed that 91% of the Maysan farmers opposed the drying of the marshes, compared with 9% who supported keeping the marshes dry, while all agricultural officers in Maysan opposed maintaining the dryness of the marshes. On the other hand, our results showed that 78.3% of Basrah farmers opposed keeping the marshes dry compared with 21.7% who supported keeping them dry. The percentage of the agricultural officers who opposed the present dryness was 77.7% compared with 22.7% who supported maintaining the current dry conditions.

Two pulp and paper factories in Iraq were established at Amara and Basrah near the southern marshes, the main source of the reeds that serve as the raw material for making paper. The annual production of reeds from the marshes during the 1960s was estimated as 900 kilotons/year. The annual designed capacity of the pulp factory was 96 k tons/year, whereas the capacity of the paper factory was 142 k tons/year. 4.5 tons of reed (40% humidity) were needed to produce one ton of paper. The Amara factory consumes 34% reed of its component while the Basrah factory consumes 100% reed. The total amount of reed consumed by the two factories was estimated as 315 k tons per year, equal to one-third of the marshes' natural production. There was a dramatic decrease in reed production in the marshes from 1980 through 1988 due to the previous regime's plan to desiccate the marshes. The aim of this study is to promote cultivation of reeds in plantations as a way to encourage and economically justify rehabilitation of the southern Iraqi marshes.

This article discusses an experimental study of the parasitism and predatory behavior of the shrimp Macrobrachim rudi, which had been artificially introduced to the aquatic environment of the southern part of the Basrah marshes. Shrimps were collected from several parts of the Basrah marshes during the period from May to September 2004. Our results show that the shrimp behaved as a predator on juvenile fish from 1.5 to 6 cm in length. It is also a parasite that weakens larger fishes. The susceptibility of fish to both predation and parasitism depended on several factors such as degree of starvation, fish size, fish density, and fish health. Our results indicated that this species of shrimp was some times enemy to his insisters. This article also describes the predatory and parasitic mechanisms of the shrimp against prey and host fish. The results of this study are thought to be the first attempt to study the parasitic behavior of this shrimp.

Three new species of parasites of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. 1758, Myxobobulus intrachondrealis, Thelohanettus sp. and Kawwia sinensis are described in this study. The parasites were collected from the southern parts of the Al-Hammar Marshes. These parasites were recorded for the first time in Iraqi fresh waters.

Three kinds of external pathogens were diagnosed from the gills and skin of the mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis, captured from Al-Hammar Marsh during the period from June to September 2004. The following pathogens were found: Aremonas sp. (bacterial pathogen), Saprolegnia parasitica (fungal pathogen) and Lernea cyprinacea (parasitic crustacean). The present article indicated that mosquito fish are a previously unrecognized host of these three pathogens.

Water extracts of six submerged, floating-leaved, and amphibious plants and one mesophytic plant were tested for their effectiveness for controlling dodder (Cuscuta compestsis and C. planiflora) infestations of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The plant extracts tested were from Chara sp., Potamogeton crispus, P. pectinatus, Ceratophyllum demersum, Bacopa monniera, and Portulaca oleracea. The results showed that water extracts of some of these plants had a significant effect on the degree of killing dodder and stimulating the growth and improving the quality of alfalfa after nine weeks of treatment. The extracts significantly inhibited germination of dodder seeds. There was no effect on germination of alfalfa seeds after 12 days in comparison with the control group.

This survey examines the local attempts in aquaculture practiced by the Marsh Arabs. The study also reveals the problems facing the people in this field. The survey showed that there have been some attempts to construct farms and ponds for rearing fish. All these attempts include non-organized fish farming practices. The survey includes three areas: Al-Nakhlat in Garmat Ali, Abu-Ghurba in Al-Medaini and Al-Amia in Suq Al-Shuyokh. It was concluded that it is possible to exploit the water bodies (and the adjacent lands) in constructing fish farms; however a training program for the local people in using aquaculture techniques is essential.

A species inventory and distribution study of aquatic plants in the marshes of southern Iraq was presented. We compared the past and present status of biological communities, especially of the species composition and vegetation structure. The results showed that great changes had occurred in the area of the al-Hawiza marshes. For example, of 30 species originally present, 20 of them could no longer be found in the marshes. Several species such as Sagittaria sagitifolia, Nymphaea sp., Alba sp., and Nymphoides spp. had completely disappeared, whereas some others have become rare or endangered. On the other hand, some exotic species such as al-Zor, Tamarix brachystachys and T. ramosissima have invaded the area. We concluded that reintroducing the rare or endangered plant species could restore biological diversity to the marshes.

The southern Iraq marsh ecosystem is inhabited by resident fish species such as Barbus luteus, B. sharpeyi, B. grypus, Aspius vorax, Silurus triostegus, Heteropneustes fossilis, Mastecambelus mastecambelus, Acanthopagrus latus, Liza abu, as well as many less important species. The marsh system previously had been considered to be a balanced ecosystem in regard to the feeding habits of native fish. But after introducing Cyprinus carpio, Carassius auratus, and Ctenopharyngodon idellus, the situation has altered. In order to determine if there is any competition among fish species, their alimentary canal contents were examined and compared. The results showed that in spite of the overlap in the apparent food habits, there was only limited competition for food items, such as that observed between the juveniles of B. sharpeyi and Ctenopharynogodon idellus because B. sharpeyi juveniles depend mainly on filamentous algae, diatoms and plant remains. Furthermore, there were other observed cases of overlap between resident species and introduced ones.

Six freshwater fish species were collected from the southern Iraqi marshes. The biochemical composition of the muscles showed that the protein content varied from the lowest value of 17.79% in Alburnus mossulensis up to the highest value of 23.37% in Silurus triostegus. The fat content ranged from 1.57 to 8.30%. The lowest fat content occurred in Barbus sharpeyi and the highest in Liza abu. The moisture content varied from 69.64 to 79.41%, whereas the ash content ranged from 0.89 to 2.35%. The caloric values were also estimated; it ranged from 91.55 Kcal /100g in B. sharpeyi up to 162.42 Kcal/100g in L. abu. A positive relationship between the muscle fat and calorific value of the six fish species was observed.