A 35-foot-long blue whale was discovered dead in Gwatar Bay, a remote coastal region straddling Pakistan and Iran, on Monday. The lifeless whale was first spotted by local fisherman Ahmad Baloch near Kuntani, Balochistan, who reported the carcass drifting close to shore.
Experts believe the whale may have died several days earlier in offshore waters before being carried toward Gwatar Bay by strong currents and rough seas. Although the precise cause of death remains unknown, it is suspected that the animal might have become entangled in gillnets commonly used in the area’s fishing operations.
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The whale is likely a pygmy blue whale, a subspecies known to inhabit the Northern Indian Ocean, given its relatively smaller size. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the largest animals on Earth and are listed as endangered. This marks a significant loss as they are among only three baleen whale species recorded in Pakistani waters, alongside Bryde’s and Arabian humpback whales.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Advisor at WWF-Pakistan, called the incident a tragedy for global marine conservation efforts. He stressed the need for stricter measures to protect cetaceans under existing wildlife and fisheries laws in Sindh and Balochistan.
