The rarest fish species "humpback whale" has found a maiden release into sea after getting trapped in a gillnet in Ghora Bari area some 140 kilometers south of Karachi shoreline early this week, the WWF-Pakistan said on Friday. The lucky whale that is of its rare breed had accidentally got entangled in fishermen's nets spread for Indian Mackerel fish on December 12. A fishing boat named Al-Mustafa captained by Sajan in Swatch area of Indus Canyon found the 10.4 meters long Arabian Sea humpback whale in his nets and called out for help, immediately.
"The Arabian Sea humpback whale is possibly the world's rarest animal as its population, which is restricted between Oman and India, is estimated to be less than 100", told by technical advisor (Marine Fisheries) WWF-Pakistan, Muhammad Moazzam Khan, who also chairs Pakistan Whale and Dolphin Society.
Senior Director Program, WWF-Pakistan, Rab Nawaz said that there were concrete evidences that the Arabian Sea humpback whale frequented Pakistani waters. "Studies initiated by WWF-Pakistan revealed that during the last 3 months (October to date) a total of 43 Arabian Sea humpback whales have been sighted in Pakistani waters", he added. A regional program for monitoring of whales in the Northern Arabian Sea including Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Yemen and UAE has been planned with an aim to take census of the rare species population in the area. "There is a reasonably large population of whales in Pakistani waters, however, there is a need to study the distribution, abundance, biology and interaction with anthropogenic activities," he said.
Previously, he said, a Longman's beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus) was safely released by a fisherman in offshore waters of Khobar Creek on 11 February 2015. In another incidence on 5 December 2012, fishermen of Gunz, Baluchistan freed an Arabian Sea humpback whale unhurt after being entangled in a bottom sea gillnet.
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