River dolphins are among the most endangered cetaceans on Earth. Their welfare is threatened by fishing bycatch, river pollution, dams, and boat traffic in some of the world's most populated river systems.
River dolphins face a constellation of welfare harms from human activities. Entanglement in fishing nets causes drowning; propeller strikes from boats cause severe injuries; pollution including heavy metals accumulates in their bodies. Deliberate killing for use as bait in catfish fisheries has been documented in the Amazon and is a severe welfare and conservation concern. The extinction of the baiji demonstrates the irreversibility of failure — no river dolphin species can be recovered once it is gone. Welfare-conscious conservation interventions include net modification for bycatch reduction, river traffic speed limits in dolphin habitats, and incentive programs for fishers who report dolphin sightings rather than killing animals.