
Luban, the female humpback whale tagged off the coast of Oman. Her name means Frankincense in Arabic and is derived from the tree-shaped pattern in the center of her tail flukes. Photo copyright: Environment Society of Oman
Since our earlier post on December 27th, Luban, the humpback whale tagged off the coast of Oman in November 2017, has continued to attract attention featuring in press articles on both sides of the Arabian Sea. Luban spent several days off the southwest coast of India, and ASWN member, Dipani Sutaria was able to mobilize a whole network of diverse stakeholders to actively search for the whale – including fishermen, naturalists, scientists, the Coast Guard, the Forest Department, NGOs, and customs and port authorities – spread from Gujarat down to the coasts of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep. Although the team has not yet been able to find Luban, the event has generated a wave of enthusiasm and excitement that is sure to spur future awareness and support for whale conservation efforts along the entire coastline.
Recent articles in the press include:
The Times of Oman (o3/01/2018)
Desabhimani Malayalam daily (03/01/2018)
The Financial Express (05/01/2018)

Map showing the track of Luban, the satellite tagged humpback whale- taken from http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=1295