ISLAMABAD: Local fishermen have found a rare dead blue whale, measuring approximately 35 feet, in the remote waters of Gwatar Bay, near the maritime border between Pakistan and Iran.
According to a statement from WWF-Pakistan, the whale likely died several days ago in the open sea and was carried into the bay by strong currents and rough waters.
Although the exact cause of death has yet to be confirmed, initial observations suggest that the whale may have become entangled in fishing gillnets commonly used along Pakistan’s coastal and offshore waters.
The dead whale has been identified as a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), one of three baleen whale species found in Pakistani seas, alongside the Bryde’s whale and the Arabian humpback whale.
Due to its relatively smaller size, experts from WWF suspect it may have been a pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), a subspecies native to the northern Indian Ocean.
A blue whale, one of three baleen whales reported from Pakistani waters, was found dead in Gwater Bay, near the Pakistan-Iran border. Likely entangled in fishing nets, the 35-foot-long whale is believed to have died days earlier before drifting ashore.
WWF-Pakistan expresses… pic.twitter.com/ivAQbE2dwO
— WWF-Pakistan (@WWFPak) June 16, 2025
WWF-Pakistan’s Technical Adviser, Muhammad Moazzam Khan, called the incident a tragic blow to global marine conservation.
He added that blue whales, typically found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian Ocean, remain classified as endangered and are in urgent need of protection.
Khan emphasised the urgent need for stronger protections for these marine giants, calling for enhanced federal legislation to safeguard cetaceans—whales and dolphins—within Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
35 Ft long dead blue whale spotted near Gwatar Bay, Makran coast at the border of Iran and Pakistan pic.twitter.com/zzLM27zkKF
— Wajih Sani (@wajih_sani) June 16, 2025
While blue whales are currently protected under the wildlife laws of Sindh and Balochistan, consistent nationwide enforcement remains inadequate.
The most recent confirmed sighting of a blue whale in Pakistani waters was reported off the coast of Gaddani, Balochistan, on April 8, 2024.
Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth, capable of growing up to 33 meters in length and weighing as much as 190 tonnes.
