Al-Anbar releases 500K fish into Haditha Lake to boost food security

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Al-Anbar Agriculture Directorate released more than 500,000 fish into Haditha Dam Lake on Thursday as part of a campaign aimed at supporting fish stocks and strengthening food security in the province.

The fish species released into the lake include common carp, silver carp, shad, and Iraqi bunni fish, the directorate said, explaining that they were at different growth stages, like hatchlings, juveniles, and fingerlings, all produced at the Suwaira Fish Hatchery in the Department of Animal Resources.

Haditha Lake, located in Iraq’s western Al-Anbar province, was formed in 1987 following the construction of the Haditha Dam, Iraq’s second-largest hydroelectric facility after the nine-kilometer Mosul Dam. The dam was designed to store over 8.2 billion cubic meters of water and produce up to 660 megawatts of electricity. The reservoir supports irrigation, electricity generation, and fisheries, while helping regulate the flow of the Euphrates River.