Karachi:
A blue whale that measured approx. 35 meters long, was registered dead in a remote area of Gwatar Bay between Pakistan and Iran on Monday.
A local fisherman, Ahmad Baloch, who fished in the area, reported the incident of a dead whale flowing near Kuntani, Balochistan.
It is likely that the whale may have died a few days left in the open seawater between Pakistan and Iran, and it drifted against the Gwatar Gulf under the influence of a hard sea and strong currents, a news message said.
Although the cause of the death has not been found so far, it seems that the animal may have been tangled in Gillnet used to catch fish in coastal and offshore waters in the area.
Blue Whale, scientifically called Balaenoptera Musculus, is one of three Baleen whales reported from Pakistani waters.
The other two whales are broken whale and the Arabic humpback whale.
There are four subspecies of blue whales, two of which include Pygmy Blue Whale (Balaenoptera Musculus Brevicuda) and the Indian Ocean Blue Whale (Balaenoptera Musculus Indica) found in northern Indian Ocean. Considering its small size, this dead blue whale seen on the vintani can be a pygmy blue whale.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser, WWF-Pakistan, expressed concern about the mortality of Blue Whale and called the sad news of the conservation community worldwide.
He shared that the blue whale is known to be distributed in tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian Ocean.
Khan emphasized that although this whale is categorized as an endangered species, urgent steps are required for its preservation. Now all whales, including whales and dolphins, are protected under the legislation of wild animals and fishing in Sindh and Balochistan.
