 Since the 1960s however, large-scale fisheries have also been developed; once of prime importance throughout Iraq, the marshland fish stocks presumably declined notably following the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes.Umm al Binni lake in Maysan Governorate, Iraq, was named after this species.Now mostly dried-up following the draining of the Central Marshes, its name attests to the former abundance of this fish and possible use as spawning ground ("Umm" is Arabic for "mother", but does not necessarily imply procreation).