KARACHI: Forty-seven sightings of baleen whales, including 12 sightings of highly endangered Arab­ian Sea humpback whales, were reported off Pakis­tan’s coast last year thro­u­gh a fishing crew observer programme, says a World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) report.

Titled ‘Arabian humpback and baleen whale sightings along the Pakistan coast: information generated through WWF Pakistan’s fishing crew observer programme’, the report has recently been presented in a meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

The observer programme, initiated over five years ago with two observers, now boasts of 75 participating vessels; this has increased the monitoring coverage of tuna fishing fleet and provides more platforms of opportunity for cetacean observations.

Under the programme, fishermen have been trained in species’ identification and in the safe release of all living megafauna (turtles, whale sharks, sunfish, mobulids, pelagic rays, birds, snakes and cetaceans).

According to the report, Pakistan has a large tuna gillnet fleet consisting of more than 500 wooden vessels which operate in coastal (territorial waters) and offshore waters (exclusive economic zone) as well as some venturing in the Area Beyond National Jurisdiction.

In 2012, WWF-P started an observer programme on these vessels in order to collect information about cetacean mortality in the tuna gillnet fisheries of Pakistan.

At the start of the programme, there were very few whale sightings with none in 2012 and only a handful in 2013 and 2014. But, with increase in observer coverage, training and experience, reports of whale sightings have increased significantly.

In November and December 2015, sightings of baleen whales increased to 14 but most could not be identified to species level, except one Bryde’s whale, which was recorded off Malan. In 2016, the number of observers further increased and a total of 47 sightings of baleen whales were recorded.

“Of the total 47 baleen whale sightings, there were 12 confirmed sightings of Arabian Sea humpback whales and three sightings of Bryde’s whale. Thirty-two sightings of baleen whales could not be identified to species level due to lack of adequate photographic or video evidence,” says the report authored by Mohammad Moazzam Khan, technical advisor on marine fisheries at WWF-P, and Rab Nawab, senior director programmes at the organisation.

It is evident from the data that most baleen whales including the Arabian Sea humpback whales concentrate in the areas that have dense schools of pelagic shrimps. Fishermen report large schools of pelagic shrimps as well as Indian oil sardine schools in the Malan-Ormara area in Balochistan.

The baleen whale species confirmed to be occurring in Pakistan are: blue whales, Bryde’s whales and the endangered Arabian Sea humpback whale. Reports of other baleen whales, the report says, are most likely misidentifications, although recent work suggests that Omura’s whale may occur in the Arabian Sea.

The data collected last year indicates that although baleen whales are found almost throughout the year in Pakistan, their occurrence seems to increase in spring (April and May) along Balochistan’s coast (between Kund Malir and Ormara).

“Prior to this study, knowledge of baleen whales particularly the Arabian Sea humpback whales in Pakistan was limited and based mainly on whaling data and stranding. Now, we have direct information through sightings. It shows that the Arabian Sea humpback whale frequently visits Pakistan’s waters, though they are few,” said Mohammad Moazzam Khan representing the WWF-P.

There is documentary evidence now that chances of baleen whale sightings are more where there is concentration of pelagic shrimps and queen fish on which they feed,” he adds.

According to him, the crew-based observer programme has generated an impressive volume of data on whale occurrence in Pakistan at a relatively low cost, besides creating awareness on whales.

“Since the start of the crew-based observer programme, hundreds of turtles, 35 whale sharks, 29 mobulid rays, 14 sunfishes, four birds (brown boobies), 16 sea snakes and three pelagic rays have been safely released from fishing nets.

“There is a clear value in continuing this programme, which can serve as a model for similar low-cost opportunistic data collection from fisheries vessels in areas where dedicated whale surveys are not yet possible,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2017