Busan's Bukangi Shark Slips Back Under the Net, Then Heads for Open Sea (Oct. 22)

Four hours of herding, seven hours of waiting

The Oct. 21 operation floated a pontoon in the channel, fixed a net to it and sent divers down so the net would not catch on the bottom. It took about four hours to herd Bukangi to the channel mouth.

Then it stayed, circling for hours between the silt curtain and the guidance net. After more than seven hours crews added another net and pushed it to the end of the channel, with the same result. A Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries marine ecology chief said officials would watch for a few more days before discussing next steps.

The clock is the water temperature

Colder water raises the risk of death, and recent signs of poor health were reported, which is why the operation went ahead. The first push on Sept. 29, with water jets from boats, failed. The second on Oct. 2 stopped about 150 m short of the exit.

The net was 7 m deep; the gap was underneath

That night Bukangi came back through a gap under a net about 7 m deep. Tying the net to the pontoon to stop it going over the top left the bottom open. After half a day circling between the mouth and the second net, it headed out from midday on Oct. 22.

Between Pier 1 and the marina

Bukangi is now ranging between Busan Port Pier 1 and the North Port marina. The ministry and the city deepened the net so it cannot re-enter. A Pukyong National University professor said that once it has adapted to the noise and vibration of busy outer waters, it is more likely to head south as the sea cools.

1.54 million visitors in a month

KNN reported on Oct. 18 that 1.54 million people visited North Port Waterfront Park in the month after Bukangi first appeared on Sept. 18, with daily visitors up about twenty-fold. As of the Oct. 22 reports the shark may be in the open water rather than the channel, so a visit may not mean a sighting.