Shafaq News- Basra

Fishermen operating off Iraq's Basra coast captured a dolphin weighing between 75 and 100 kilograms after the animal became entangled in commercial nets and was pulled aboard, according to footage that drew immediate criticism from environmental experts and activists.

Fisherman Abbas Qasim, speaking to Shafaq News, said the dolphin approached the fishing boats before becoming caught in the nets, attributing the incident to a gap in awareness among some fishermen, which causes such encounters to be treated as unusual catches rather than violations involving a protected species.

Dolphins are a regular presence in Iraqi waters, particularly in the northern Gulf near the Shatt al-Arab waterway and areas south of Basra, where conditions support feeding and seasonal migration.

Marine expert Saadoun Mohammed told our agency that capturing or killing dolphins disrupts marine ecosystems and destabilizes the food chain.

Read more: Silent extinction: Iraq’s wildlife fades as water runs out

Incidents of this kind are classified internationally as bycatch —the unintended capture of non-target species in commercial nets— which can cause suffocation or fatal injuries to marine mammals unable to surface for air. Under Iraq's Law No. 27 of 2009 on the Protection and Improvement of the Environment, the hunting or capture of water animals threatened with extinction is prohibited. Environmental expert Ali Hussein, who reviewed the footage, called for the law's enforcement provisions to be applied and strengthened, alongside public awareness campaigns promoting safe release practices and the adoption of sustainable fishing methods, considering the incident reflects a cluster of compounding pressures, including weak public awareness, unregulated fishing practices, oil pollution, and industrial waste discharge into Iraqi coastal waters.

“Dolphins serve as indicators of ecosystem health, and sustained pressure from overfishing and pollution could drive the species away from Iraqi waters entirely.”