Residents of Pakistan’s least populated province in the southwest recently witnessed an unusual event—a 27-foot-long Bryde’s whale was discovered along the mesmerizing coastline. Commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions, Bryde’s whales were spotted washed up dead near Balochistan’s coast in a remote area of Raini Hor.
According to reports in the local media, the lifeless mammal was trapped in fishermen’s net in a coastal area of Gwadar. The fishermen brought it to the shore near Pasni and Shumal Bundar.
This unfortunate incident raises concerns about the ongoing threat faced by the Bryde’s whale population in the Arabian Sea. Officials from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) confirmed the presence of marks from fishing nets on the body of this endangered species, suggesting that the whale met its demise after being strangled in the fishing gear.
WWF officials stated, “Marks of fishing nets can be seen on the body of the endangered species that got killed after being strangled in the fishing gear.”
Memories resurface of a similar incident a couple of years ago when another Bryde’s whale was discovered dead on Balochistan’s coast, also entangled in a fishing net. Bryde’s whales, categorized as baleen whales and found in warm temperate and tropical waters globally, confront various threats, including ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and habitat degradation.
