A shark stranded for more than a month in a canal at Busan's North Port may have only two weeks to live, a marine expert has warned.
The three-meter-long dusty shark, named "Bukang-i," was seen slamming its head into the canal wall on Monday, according to local media outlet SBS. Footage taken by visitors the previous day also showed that the tip of its right pectoral fin had turned white and appeared injured.
Choi Yoon, a prominent South Korean ichthyologist and emeritus professor in the Department of Marine Bio-Resource Sciences at Kunsan National University, said in an interview with SBS that the shark’s condition appeared to be worsening rapidly. He explained the shark may have been too weak to detect the wall and avoid hitting it.
The National Institute of Fisheries Science, which has been monitoring the shark, said it had not seen it eat. Choi echoed that the shark may have gone without food for the entire month it has spent in the canal.
Dusky sharks can survive for a month or even two without food, Choi said, but Bukang-i has likely used up most of its energy reserves. The professor warned that the shark may have only two weeks to live as it grows weaker and the water gets colder.
Bukang-i was first spotted in the canal at the North Port Waterfront Park on Sept. 18.
Authorities have twice tried to guide it back to sea. On Sept. 29, they used boats and water jets to steer it toward the open water. They tried again with a large net on Oct. 2, but the shark turned back into the canal.
Officials have since been monitoring Bukang-i, hoping it would leave on its own. But its recent behavior and apparent fin injury have prompted concerns that it may need further help.
Officials are expected to announce an additional rescue plan as early as this week.
junheee@heraldcorp.com