Giant blue whale spotted along Gaddani coast, Balochistan

Posted on 8 April 2024

Karachi, 8 April 2024: On Monday morning, local fishermen recorded the giant blue whale around two kilometres off Gaddani coast, Balochistan. The whale was seen to be moving on surface of the coastal waters in Gaddani. According to local fishers, the same whale was seen along the Gaddani coast at around 4:40 pm on Sunday but could not be recorded on camera. This is the second record of live sighting of the blue whale in Pakistani waters. WWF-Pakistan lauded the efforts of local fishermen who recorded the live blue whale and shared its video with the organization and media outlets.

Commenting on this sighting, Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical Advisor, WWF-Pakistan said that blue whale is the second common whale, after Arabian Sea humpback whale, found in Pakistani waters. There is a sizable population of blue whale in Arabian sea as local fishermen have been reporting several sightings of the animal for last 15 years. In September 2017, a gigantic mother blue whale with her calf was sighted off the Churna Island near Karachi coast. He said that WWF-Pakistan through its Observer Programme is building the capacity of local fishers to safely release the entangled whales, dolphins, turtles and other threatened marine species from fishing nets, film the sighting of endangered species and take efforts for the protection.

Ghazi Sallahuddin, Regional Head, Sindh and Balochistan, WWF-Pakistan was of the view that whales face several challenges along their habitat range. The major threats to whales in Pakistani waters include entanglement in the fishing nets, ship strikes, water pollution and climate change. He emphasized that as blue whales are migratory species, we need to promote new conservation approaches through enhancing cooperation from local to regional and international level. Science-based and research organizations, civil society, states and inter-governmental bodies should play their role to safeguard these whale species.

Whales are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in overall health of the marine environment. This animal is listed endangered on the IUCN Red List of Species and there are around 10,000 to 25,000 specimens worldwide. Blue whale is the largest animal on the planet weighing as much as 200 tons. Its stomach can hold one ton of krill and it needs to eat around four tons of krill each day.

Local fishermen record blue whale along Gaddani coast, Balochistan