This study was conducted in Iraqi marine waters in the northwest of the Persian Gulf. The data for boats and annual catches were collected from the Al-Nasr Fishing Association Ltd. in Al-Faw and the Basrah Agriculture Directorate, which depend on commercial transaction data for documentation on the 2021 fishing season. The fish landing site in Al-Faw city is in the southernmost of Iraq. The amount of experimental catch per unit of effort (CPUE, kg/hour/boat) was measured during regular monthly trips in 2021. The CPUE for large boats peaked in June (16.66 kg/hour /boat), whereas the highest value of CPUE was recorded in May for demo fishing by small boats employing gillnets (11.8 kg/hour/boat). Shrimp was dominated in the Iraqi catch, constituting 16.13% of the total catch. The commercial transaction data registered by the responsible administration did not agree with the demo fishing results of the estimated CPUE in re-estimating the Iraqi marine catch. The study found a significant flaw in the fish statistics based on the commercial transactions registering data in Iraqi marine catches. The current study also estimated that the unreported artisanal commercial catch in Iraq during 2021 was about 48%, which is higher than other studies in re-estimating the Iraqi marine catch. The study documented a significant decrease in the number of fishermen, with their count reaching (2025) compared to the previous years. Thus, it is necessary to assign an independent authority to document the Iraqi marine catch.