GWADAR: A 35-foot-long blue whale has been found dead in the Arabian Sea near the Gwadar region, raising concern among marine experts and conservationists.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), local fisherman Ahmed Baloch spotted the whale near Kuntani, close to the Pakistan-Iran maritime boundary in Gwater Bay.
The cause of death remains unknown, and WWF has expressed concern over the incident, noting that sightings of such large marine mammals in this region are rare and their deaths warrant urgent investigation.
WWF Technical Advisor, Moazzam Khan, stated that the whale likely died several days ago in the open waters between Pakistan and Iran and was carried by strong waves and sea currents toward Gwater Bay. He noted that the exact cause of death remains unclear, but one possibility is that the whale became entangled in fishing nets commonly used in the region.
The blue whale is one of the three largest baleen whale species found in Pakistani waters. The last recorded sighting of a blue whale in the country was on April 8, 2024, near Gadani. These majestic creatures can grow up to 100 feet in length and weigh as much as 200 tons.
Experts have called for increased monitoring and protection of marine life in the Arabian Sea, especially as human activities continue to pose threats to endangered species like the blue whale.
