Authorities succeeded on the 21st in guiding a shark nicknamed "Bukang-i" out of an artificial canal at a waterfront park in Busan's North Port, 33 days after it was first spotted there.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Busan Metropolitan Government, the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea and the National Institute of Fisheries Science jointly carried out the operation to return the shark to open water.
The agencies began work at about 10 a.m., using nets to drive the shark from the area between the fourth and fifth pedestrian bridges toward the Marina Bridge. They installed a net about 60 meters from the canal exit, and the shark, which had been circling in front of it, was sighted in waters off Pier 1 outside the canal at around 6 p.m. That means the shark has at least left the canal.
The waters off Pier 1, however, can hardly be described as the open sea, and the possibility that the shark returns toward the net cannot be ruled out. Officials expect it to move out to open water over time.
The shark was first seen in the waterfront park canal on Sept. 18. Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the 3-meter-long predator, and it quickly became a local attraction in Busan. Cumulative visitors to the park recently topped 1.6 million.
After two failed attempts to guide the shark out, authorities had waited for it to leave on its own. But with water temperatures falling and the risk of the animal dying rising, they launched the third operation on the day.