River dolphins are among the most endangered cetaceans on Earth, facing threats from pollution, fishing bycatch, and dam construction in some of the world's most biodiverse river systems.
River dolphin welfare is threatened by overlapping industrial and agricultural pressures on freshwater ecosystems. Mercury from gold mining bioaccumulates in river dolphins causing neurological damage, reproductive failure, and immune suppression. Entanglement in fishing nets causes drowning -- river dolphins, like all cetaceans, must surface to breathe. Dam construction blocks migration routes and creates isolated populations vulnerable to genetic decline. Boat strikes from increasing river traffic cause traumatic injuries. Conservation responses must address all these threats simultaneously through pollution control, fishing gear modification, dam design improvements, and protected river reaches.