Researchers from the University of Basra Publish a Paper in a Journal Included in the AGRIS International Database
Researchers at the Marine Sciences Center at the University of Basra—Dr. Abbas Jassim Toman, Dr. Falah Ma’ruf Mutlak, and Dr. Ali Taha Yassin—published a scientific paper titled *“Expansion of the Range of the Invasive African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus (Burchell) 1822) in Southern Iraq”* in the Iraqi Journal of Aquaculture, Volume 23, Issue 2-2026, pp. 587–595, published by
the Marine Sciences Center, University of Basra, Iraq.
The journal is dedicated to publishing original research and studies related to aquaculture, fisheries, aquatic environment management, and water pollution.
Dr. Abbas Jassim Toman noted that the journal is accredited and listed on the international AGRIS platform of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The main objective of this study is to document and monitor the expansion of the invasive African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in the aquatic environment of southern Iraq and to assess its environmental impacts.
This study documented a new occurrence of the invasive African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in the lower Tigris River in the city of Basra, thereby expanding the geographic range of this species to southern Iraq.
​The key findings of the study can be summarized as follows:
​Sample details: Two individuals of this species, with total lengths ranging from 540 to 575 mm, were caught using gillnets in September 2024.
​Morphological characteristics: Individuals of this species are characterized by an elongated body, long dorsal and anal fins, a large head with four pairs of barbels surrounding a wide mouth, a pigmented band on both sides of the lower part of the head, a smooth posterior margin of the pectoral fin spine, and 62–64 gill rakers.
​Environmental Impacts: This expansion in the range of the African tilapia raises concerns about potential impacts on local biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics, as the presence of this invasive species may disrupt the existing ecological balance, potentially resulting in unforeseen consequences for native species and their natural habitats.