The survival of humpback whale population in the Arabian Sea, the smallest and most endangered humpback whale population in the world, is threatened by human activities, particularly entanglement in fishing nets, shipping, and coastal development. However, better information is essential to design conservation actions. To address the problem, WWF Pakistan convened a workshop of international experts in Dubai from 27 to 29 January 2015. The workshop brought together researchers and conservation organisations in countries bordering the northern Indian Ocean to develop a strategy for conservation of these whales.
Unlike other humpback whale populations, which travel predictable migration routes between high latitude feeding grounds and low latitude breeding areas, the Arabian Sea population does not migrate but is restricted to the Arabian Sea, with a range including Oman, Iran, Pakistan, and India. These whales may also occur in the Gulf, Red Sea, and along the coasts of Yeman, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and the northern Maldives. Recent genetic analyses indicate that the Arabian Sea humpback whales are the most isolated humpback whale population in the world. Recordings of the songs that males produce during the mating season along with visual observations and stranding reports indicate that the whales breed along the coast of Oman and possibly along the Pakistan and Indian coasts off the Rann of Kutch. There have been a number of recent sightings of these whales in Pakistani waters along the Balochistan coast. Unfortunately, there have also been a worrying number of dead whales found stranded on beaches across the region.
Cetacean scientists from regional countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Oman, UAE, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, as well as experts from the UK, USA, South Africa, Italy, and Canada participated in the meeting. The invited experts included representatives from international conservation organisations including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Convention on Migratory Species, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the International Whaling Commission, and national organisations such as Environment Society of Oman (ESO) and Plan for the Land. The regional experts presented updates on the status of these whales in their countries. General discussion led to the conclusion that the Arabian Sea humpback whale population is at great risk of extinction and that research should be undertaken immediately to inform conservation measures. The workshop stressed the need for a regionally collaborative research and conservation program, including scientific surveys to estimate population size and current distribution, collection of further information on the whales' biology and ecology, and working with different industries to reduce adverse human impacts on these whales.-PR