A rare blue whale, estimated to be around 35 feet long, was found dead on Monday in a remote part of Gwatar Bay, located between Pakistan and Iran. The discovery was made near Kuntani, Balochistan, by a local fisherman, Ahmad Baloch, who reported seeing the carcass drifting in the water.
Initial assessments suggest that the whale may have died several days earlier in open sea before being carried toward the bay by rough waters and strong currents, according to an official news release.
The exact cause of death has yet to be determined, though experts suspect the whale may have become entangled in gillnets commonly used for fishing in both coastal and offshore areas.
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is one of three baleen whale species known to inhabit Pakistani waters, along with the Bryde’s whale and the Arabian humpback whale. Given the relatively smaller size of the specimen found, it is likely to be a pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) or the Indian Ocean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus indica), both subspecies native to the Northern Indian Ocean.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Advisor at WWF-Pakistan, expressed deep concern over the incident, calling it a tragic loss for global marine conservation efforts. “The blue whale is classified as an endangered species and plays a critical role in the health of marine ecosystems,” Khan stated.
He added that the blue whale is typically found in tropical and subtropical zones of the Indian Ocean, and any such mortality raises alarm for conservationists.
Khan underscored the need for urgent conservation action, noting that all cetaceans — including whales and dolphins — are protected under the wildlife and fisheries laws of both Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
The incident has reignited calls for stricter regulation of fishing practices and enhanced marine protection policies to safeguard the region’s dwindling whale population.
