A large group of Arabian humpback whales, a species facing the threat of extinction, was sighted off the coast of Gwadar, Balochistan, late last night.
According to details, a team of local fishermen led by Captain Ameer Dad Karim spotted more than six humpback whales around 11 nautical miles south of Gwadar, migrating from west to east through the Arabian Sea.
Just last week, another group of Bryde’s whales was reported in the eastern bay of Gwadar. So far, 27 species of dolphins and whales have been recorded in Pakistani waters, known for their productive coastal ecosystems.
The Arabian humpback whale, a type of baleen whale, inhabits the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Sri Lanka. Unlike other humpback species, it does not migrate to the southern oceans but remains within the Arabian Sea year-round.
Typically, most whales migrate southwards during summer to feed on krill and small fish in the nutrient-rich waters of the Antarctic, building thick fat layers that sustain them during colder months. They later move toward warmer regions for breeding.
However, the Arabian humpback whales mainly reside in Omani waters and migrate seasonally toward Pakistan’s coast after the southwest monsoon, following the movement of shrimp and small fish. The WWF-Pakistan has documented numerous sightings of this species in local waters.
While most past sightings involved individual whales or pairs, this recent observation marks one of the largest groups seen in years. Experts believe this could signal a positive recovery trend in the population, which suffered severe losses during Soviet-era whaling operations between 1963 and 1967, when fleets targeted Arabian humpbacks along the northern Arabian Sea, including Pakistan’s coast.
