Freshwater river dolphins are among the most endangered cetaceans on earth, facing extinction from fishing bycatch, habitat degradation, and boat strikes. Their welfare and conservation require urgent integrated action.
River dolphin welfare exists at the crisis end of the conservation-welfare spectrum: these are animals experiencing population-level declines severe enough to threaten extinction within decades, with welfare harms inflicted through entanglement, boat strikes, and habitat degradation affecting individuals throughout their range. Bycatch entanglement in gillnets is particularly welfare-significant: entangled river dolphins, which are obligate air-breathers, drown after a period of struggling that represents acute suffering before death. Deliberate killing for use as catfish bait, practiced in parts of the Amazon basin, represents a direct welfare harm of particular concern. The baiji extinction provides a sobering precedent for what failure of conservation action means for river dolphin welfare at the ultimate scale. Effective intervention requires multi-pronged approaches: bycatch reduction through modified gear designs and fisheries management, boat speed restrictions in dolphin habitat, pollution reduction, and habitat protection including floodplain connectivity. Community engagement with fishing communities that live alongside river dolphins is essential since livelihood conflicts underlie many of the primary threats.