Shafaq News / The Iraqi Fish Producers Association issued a stark warning on Monday, stating that the nation's fisheries are on the brink of collapse due to a significant onslaught by the Ministry of Water Resources. This attack includes the infilling of fish farms dependent on sewage water and the prohibition of utilizing surface and artesian wells.

Iyad Al-Talbi, the association's president, expressed his concerns during a press conference held in cooperation with Shafaq News Agency. He explained that "75 percent of these farms are unlicensed, and the small portion relying on freshwater has been permanently closed for about seven months. The rest are located on sewage water, which the Ministry of Water Resources has aggressively filled, releasing fish from these farms into the third river and the sea."

He added, "Baghdad has suffered the most damage, particularly in the Tarmiyah area, which has a significant amount of sewage water. Al-Sulaymaniyah also has unlicensed farms similar to those in Tarmiyah, which have been infilled along with the fish, accounting for 95 percent of their operations. Afterward, Babel, Kut, and other provinces that export fish have been affected."

Al-Talbi highlighted that "these farms used to provide employment opportunities, but their workers are now jobless. Additionally, project owners are burdened with debt, and they have suffered significant losses. We have appealed to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Water Resources, but the infilling decision was implemented due to water scarcity, resulting in reduced production and soaring prices, with the cost reaching up to 9,000 Iraqi dinars per kilogram."

He continued, "There is a substantial offensive initiated by the Ministry of Water Resources, filling unlicensed farms. These farms used to supply the Iraqi market, leading to an annual production of over 800,000 tons and achieving self-sufficiency. However, after the issuance of these laws and directives, fish stocks are on the brink of collapse."

He noted that "filling farms and releasing fish into the wild did not solve the problem but exacerbated it, as the government did not provide alternatives after closing these farms."

Al-Talbi pointed out that "there are many alternatives, including closed systems or using sewage water, which was previously used by around 40 percent of the farms operating on sewage systems covering an area of up to 800 kilometers. All of these have water that can be utilized, but the Ministry of Water Resources has prohibited it, along with surface and artesian wells."

He emphasized that "the solution lies in forming a joint committee that allows farms using sewage water to return it and permits the use of surface wells."