BUSAN — A black shark nicknamed "Bukangi" that had lingered for more than a month in an artificial canal at a waterfront park in Busan's North Port has moved out of the channel after a third herding operation by authorities. It came 33 days after the shark was first spotted on Sept. 18. But the area off Pier 1, where the shark was seen, can hardly be considered open sea, leaving open the possibility that it could return to the canal.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Busan Metropolitan Government, the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea and the National Institute of Fisheries Science carried out the operation on the morning of the 21st to send the shark back to sea. Using nets, they drove the shark from the area between the fourth and fifth footbridges toward the Marina Bridge, then set a net about 60 meters from the canal exit. After circling for some time, the shark was spotted around 6 p.m. in waters off Pier 1, outside the canal.
While the shark has been confirmed to have left the canal, whether it has moved fully into open water remains to be seen. Earlier, when it was circling the nets near the Marina Bridge, it was also seen moving back and forth toward the exit. Authorities expect the shark to head for open sea over time now that it is outside the canal.
Another variable is that the net could not be extended all the way to the exit. The water deepens closer to the canal mouth, so dragging the net risked leaving gaps, and the seabed terrain made the work difficult, according to officials. For that reason, it is hard to conclude that the shark will not return to the canal.
The operation was the third, following attempts on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2. Authorities again used nets, but this time secured them to a pontoon, a floating platform used for work on the water, to keep the shark from swimming over the top.
They also reversed the direction of the herding. In the first and second attempts, the shark was driven from the fourth-to-fifth footbridge area, where it frequently appeared, toward the exit near the sixth footbridge. This time it was pushed in the opposite direction, toward the Marina Bridge, after officials judged that net work near the sixth footbridge was difficult because of the canal floor's terrain.
Personnel were stationed on the pontoon to block the shark's approach, and divers were deployed at the site in case the net snagged on obstacles on the bottom.
After two failed attempts, authorities had waited for the shark to leave for the sea on its own, but returned to the operation on the 21st as falling water temperatures raised the risk that it would die.
The shark was first seen in the canal on Sept. 18. Crowds gathered to see the 3-meter-long predator, turning it into a local attraction in Busan, and cumulative visitors to the waterfront park recently topped 1.6 million.