Rare pod of Bryde’s whales sighted near Gwadar

For the first time since November 2023, a rare pod of Bryde’s whales has been observed near the Gwadar coast. 

A group of Bryde’s whales was observed by a fishing boat captained by Amir Dad Karim. The boat was operating in the Gwadar (Demi Zur) for gillnetting of sardines at 9am on October 23, 2025.

The movements were noticed on the surface of the calm sea at least 5 kilometres north of the area of the fishing operation. Upon close examination, the fishermen found a group of Bryde’s whales.

WWF-Pakistan stated in a press release that the presence of whales on the sea’s surface indicates that these whales were travelling towards the coastal waters, possibly for feeding.

“There are many records of the occurrence of Bryde’s whales in Pakistan; the last Bryde’s whale was seen at Jiwani, Balochistan, in November 2023, which was found floating dead near the Pakistan-Iran border.”

In another event, a Bryde’s whale was recorded from Bandri near Jiwani in May 2023. There are many other records of the occurrence of Bryde’s whale from Pakistan between 2013 and 2023.”

Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Advisor, WWF-Pakistan, said: “Bryde’s whales are found in warm, temperate oceans, including the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific.”

“These whales feed on schooling fish, including sardines, anchovies, and mackerels, which are abundantly found along the coast of Pakistan,” said Khan.

Rab Nawaz, Senior Director (Biodiversity), WWF-Pakistan, appreciated fishermen and the general public for their contributions in finding marine animals in Pakistan through citizen science, which is helping build the knowledge base about the threatened marine ecosystem of Pakistan.