A 35-foot-long blue whale was found dead on Monday in the Arabian Sea, near Gwater Bay. This remote area lies between Pakistan and Iran.
The World Wide Fund for Nature–Pakistan (WWF–Pakistan) confirmed the discovery.
A local fisherman, Ahmad Baloch, spotted the whale floating near Kuntani, a coastal area in Balochistan.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan, WWF, Pakistan’s technical adviser, explained: “It is likely that the whale may have died a few days ago in the open sea between Pakistan and Iran and drifted towards Gwater Bay due to rough seas and strong currents.”
Cause of Death and Species Classification
The cause of death is unknown. However, Khan suggested the whale might have become entangled in gillnets. These nets are widely used in both coastal and offshore fishing in the region.
The blue whale, known scientifically as Balaenoptera musculus, is listed as endangered and is the largest animal ever known to exist.
Only three baleen whale species are reported in Pakistan’s waters: the blue whale, Bryde’s whale, and the Arabian humpback whale.
There are four subspecies of blue whales. Two are commonly found in the northern Indian Ocean: the pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) and the Indian Ocean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus indica).
“Considering its small size, this dead blue whale sighted at Kuntani might be a pygmy blue whale,” Khan added.
Conservation and Legal Protection
Khan expressed concern about the whale’s death and emphasised the need for urgent action.
“Now all cetaceans, including whales and dolphins, are protected under the wildlife and fisheries legislation of Sindh and Balochistan. We also need to enact federal legislation for the protection of cetaceans, including whales, in Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.”
WWF–Pakistan noted that blue whales are distributed across the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian Ocean. Moreover, there have been many sightings in Pakistan’s marine region.
The most recent sighting before this incident occurred near Gadani, Balochistan, on 8 April 2024.
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