In a rare sighting, four Bryde’s whales have been spotted off the coast of Gwadar, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P).

In a post on X, the organisation said the group was sighted a day ago by local fishermen near Gwadar (Demi Zur) by local fishermen, who immediately reported the incident to WWF-Pakistan as part of its citizen science initiative.

“The whales were spotted by a fishing boat captained by Amir Dad Karim, who noticed movement on the calm sea about 5 kilometres north of their operation area. On approaching, they found a pod of baleen whales, later identified as Bryde’s whales, likely moving toward coastal waters to feed.”

The organisation said the Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera brydei) is one of the three baleen whale species known from Pakistani waters — the other two are the blue whale and the Arabian humpback whale — adding that it lives in warm and temperate oceans and mainly feeds on schooling fish such as sardines, anchovies and mackerels, which are abundant along the country’s coastline.

It said the species was listed as “data deficient” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List and remained poorly studied globally.

“Like all other cetaceans, they are protected under Pakistan’s wildlife, fisheries, and international trade laws.”

“Such rare sightings remind us of the rich marine life along Pakistan’s coast and the importance of protecting it for generations to come,” it said.

WWF-Pakistan has strengthened its efforts to conserve marine mammals by developing a national databank of cetaceans — whales, dolphins, and porpoises — through the innovative citizen science initiative that engages fishermen, scientists and the public in reporting marine life sightings along the country’s coastline.

“Citizen science allows us to collect vital information about marine species that would otherwise go unrecorded,” said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser at WWF-Pakistan. “This recent sighting is a promising indicator of a healthy marine food web.”

Pakistan’s waters have seen several sightings of Bryde’s whales in recent years, though some have ended tragically.

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The last recorded incident was in November 2023 when a dead Bryde’s whale was found near Jiwani, close to the Pakistan-Iran border. Another was stranded in the same region in May 2023.

Rab Nawaz, senior director for biodiversity at WWF-Pakistan, praised the active participation of coastal communities in supporting conservation efforts.

“Fishermen in Sindh and Balochistan have played an essential role by sharing information about marine mammals and adapting fishing methods to prevent whale and dolphin entanglement. Their collaboration demonstrates the power of local knowledge in protecting endangered species,” he said.

Established in 1970, WWF-Pakistan is the country’s largest environmental organisation, with over 300 staff working across 32 offices. The organisation’s ongoing marine conservation projects aim to protect biodiversity, promote sustainable fishing practices, and ensure the long-term health of Pakistan’s coastal and ocean ecosystems.