Rare sighting: Longman’s beaked whale caught, freed
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KARACHI:
Pakistani fishermen caught a rare Longman’s beaked whale in the Arabian Sea and released it into the water within half an hour. Fishermen found the whale entangled in a gillnet about 122 nautical miles off Khobar Creek in Thatta district. Conservationists say it is the first time that fisherman have freed a live whale. The fact that the Longman’s beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus) is a protected species makes their actions highly commendable, they add. WWF-Pakistan Director Rab Nawaz heaped praise on the fishermen for saving a unique and rare marine animal. The Longman’s beaked whale is regarded as one of the least known of all living whales.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2015.
Pakistani fishermen caught a rare Longman’s beaked whale in the Arabian Sea and released it into the water within half an hour. Fishermen found the whale entangled in a gillnet about 122 nautical miles off Khobar Creek in Thatta district. Conservationists say it is the first time that fisherman have freed a live whale. The fact that the Longman’s beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus) is a protected species makes their actions highly commendable, they add. WWF-Pakistan Director Rab Nawaz heaped praise on the fishermen for saving a unique and rare marine animal. The Longman’s beaked whale is regarded as one of the least known of all living whales.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2015.