1. Diversity of Cetaceans in
Pakistan studied through
Remains collected during
beach surveys along Sindh
and Balochistan coasts
PERVAIZ IQBAL, PIRZADA JAMAL A. SIDDIQUI,
SHOAIB KIANI
Center of Excellence in Marine Biology,
University of Karachi
[pvza_mb@hotmail.com]

2. What are Cetaceans?
Cetaceans are marine mammals
(whales, dolphins, porpoises)
Porpoise
DolphinWhale

3. Ceatceans - Marine
Mammals
• Warm blooded
• Have blow-holes and
breathe air
• Give birth
• Have hairs on their body at
least on some stage of their
life
• Cows are their closest
ancestors

4. Cetaceans
Baleen (Only whales have baleen)
Toothed (Whales and dolphins)

5. Why Cetacean?
• Natural indicators of the environmental health
• Bioaccumulate contaminants present in the water.
Therefore, monitoring the levels of contaminants in
cetaceans will help understand the level of
pollution
• Eco-tourism – A multibillion dollar industry
• More than 10 million people now enjoy watching
cetaceans each year
Data on cetacean is required for developing
strategies and management plans

6. Indian Ocean Sanctuary
Information on
marine mammals in
Pakistani waters not
readily available
Most cetacean
species occurring in
Pakistani waters are
data deficient

7. • Very little or no research on marine cetaceans
• Pilleri & Gihr,1972 (about inshore small cetaceans mainly in
Indus delta region)
• Mikhalev, 1997 (Oil exploration studies and illegal Soviet
whaling in Pakistani EEZ in early 60s)
• T. J. Roberts “Mammals of Pakistan” (a tentative catalogue
of marine cetaceans in Pakistan based on interview and few
strandings)
• No dedicated effort for marine cetaceans research along
whole coast of Pakistan except Darwin initiative project
2005-2008
Background information

8. Cetacean Research Methods
Beach and Boat surveys
• Beach Surveys
• Boat Surveys

9. Boat Surveys (Darwin Initiative Project)
DEFRA UK funded project Center of Excellence in Marine
Biology
University (of London) Marine
Biological Station

10. Sindh
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
sighting
Humback dolphin
Bottle nosedolphin
Finlessporpoise
unknown Dolphinsp.
Species
Abundance(perhour)
Balochistan
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Sighting
Humbackdolphin
Bottlenosedolphin
Finlessporpoise
Species
Abundance(perhour)
Average number of cetacean groups sighted and number of species
per time spent surveying inshore Sindh and Balochistan coasts
(Darwin first year report, 2006)
Boat survey results

11. Beach surveys Sindh coast

12. Beach surveys Balochistan

13. Beach surveys and remains
Sampling tissue from
stranded dolphin
Working on skulls
Stranded dolphinBeach survey
Whale bone
collected
Whale vertebrae

14. Skulls (Whale, dolphin)

15. Surveys showing remains in Sindh coast
No. Date Rout from Rout end
Lat /long
(Start)
Lat/Long
(End)
Breaks From Transects / Comments
1 02/12/05 Hawks Bay Sandspit
24 51.694
066 51.031
24 50.623
066 53.977
0
2 06/12/05 Hawks Bay
Paradise
Point
24 51.687
066 50.963
24 50.879
066 45.980
0
3 30/06/06
Khobar
creek
Gizriwala
creek
24 08.734
67 20.658
24 09.950
067 20.521
Dolphin skull found
3 30/06/06
Khobar
creek
Gizriwala
creek
24 08.734
067 20.658
24 09.950
067 20.521
remains of dolphin, 6ft2inches
long
3 30/06/06
Khobar
creek
Gizriwala
creek
24 08.734
067 20.658
24 09.950
067 20.521
Dolphin skull, 2410191, 6720433
3 30/06/06
Khobar
creek
Gizriwala
creek
24 08.734
067 20.658
24 09.950
067 20.521 decomposed body of dolphin
4 06/12/06 Sandspit
Wetland
Centre
24 50.613
066 53.858
24 51.252
066 52.702
0
5 11/12/06 Sandspit
Wetland
Centre
24 50.613
066 53.858
24 51.252
066 52.702
0
6 31/05/07 Gocca Turshian
24 04.789
067 22.596
24 04.122
067 23.921 0
7 31/05/07 Gocca Hajamro
24 05.307
067 23.921
24 07.249
067 21.741 0

16. Surveys showing remains in Balochistan
No. Date Rout from Rout end
Lat and long
(Start)
Lat and long
(End)
Remains
1 18/12/05
Mubarak
Village
Mubarak
Village
24 50.358
066 39.610
24 50.908
066 39.570 0
2 18/12/05 Hub River
Mubarak
Village
24 52.849
066 42.293
24 50.849
066 41.119
Huge skeleton of sperm whale at
24 52.784; 066 41.4512
3 13/02/06 Hud village Hud village
24 16.637
064 39.330
24 17.846
064 40.817 Three sightings were observed
4 16/02/06 Zarrien Juddi
25 12.649
063 29.521
25 13.197
063 29.917 Dolphin sightings
5 17/04/06 Jiwani Bandri
25 02.766
061 44.401
25 05.083
061 45.770 0
6 16/02/07 Astola Astola
25 07.261
063 49.589
25 07.359
063 50.256 0
7 24/02/07 Astola Astola
25 07.584
063 50.928
25 07.557
063 51.876 Vertebral bone of cetacean
7 24/02/07 Astola Astola
25 07.584
063 50.928
25 07.557
063 51.876
Whale vertebrae, 25.07.597,
063.52.348
7 24/02/07 Astola Astola
25 07.584
063 50.928
25 07.557
063 51.876
Cetacean bone found at
25.07.606, 063.51.710
7 24/02/07 Astola Astola
25 07.584
063 50.928
25 07.557
063 51.876
Skin of cetacean, Skull of
cetacean

17. Status of Cetacean
(IUCN red list)
English name Scientific name Status in the region IUCN Red List
Designation
Long-beaked common
dolphin
Delphinus capensis
tropicalis
Restricted to waters relatively close to shore.
Continental shelf and slope
Data Deficient
Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncates Widespread and abundant in shelf and shelf edge
waters.
Data Deficient
Cuvier's beaked
whale
Ziphius cavirostris Common and widespread in deep pelagic waters,
particularly along the shelf edge
Data Deficient
Indo-Pacific
Humpback
dolphin
Sousa chinensis Coastal tropical and subtropical waters,
preferring areas that are less than 20 metres
deep
Near
Threatened
Spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris Tropical high seas species, but it also inhabits
shallow reef areas, coastal areas, and
subtropical and warm temperate waters
Data Deficient
Humpback whale Megaptera
novaeangliae
Scarce vagrant to deep pelagic and shelf
waters.
Vulnerable
Sperm whale Physeter
macrocephalus
Seasonally regular in deep pelagic waters
during
May-November.
Vulnerable
Finless porpoise Neophocaena
phocaenoides
shallow (usually <50 m deep) coastal waters Vulnerable

18. Comparison of species identified
through Beach and Boat surveys
No. Cetaceans
Beach
surveys
Boat
surveys
1 Long-beaked common dolphin + -
2 Bottlenose dolphin + +
3 Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin + +
4 Spinner dolphin + +
5 Risso’s dolphin - +
6 Humpback whale + +
7 Cuvier's beaked whale + -
8 Sperm whale + -
9 Killer whale - +
10 Bryde’s whale + -
11 Fin whale - Reported
12 Finless porpoise + +

19. Global Perspective: Overexploitation

20. Thank You