Rare Whale Sighting Thrills Coastal Pakistan

On October 23rd, 2025, a remarkable sighting occurred off the coast of Gwadar, Pakistan. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P), a group of four Bryde's whales was spotted by local fishermen near the Demi Zur area. The fishermen, led by Amir Dad Karim, immediately reported the incident to WWF-Pakistan as part of its citizen science initiative.

The Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) is one of the three baleen whale species known to inhabit Pakistani waters, the other two being the blue whale and the Arabian humpback whale. These whales typically live in warm and temperate oceans, feeding on schooling fish such as sardines, anchovies, and mackerels, which are abundant along Pakistan's coastline.

WWF-Pakistan has been working to strengthen its efforts to conserve marine mammals, including the development of a national databank of cetaceans through the innovative citizen science program. This recent sighting of the Bryde's whales is a promising indicator of a healthy marine ecosystem and the importance of protecting Pakistan's rich coastal and ocean biodiversity for generations to come.

Rab Nawaz, the senior director for biodiversity at WWF-Pakistan, praised the active participation of coastal communities in supporting conservation efforts. He highlighted the essential role played by fishermen in Sindh and Balochistan, who have shared information about marine mammals and adapted their fishing methods to prevent whale and dolphin entanglement.