Shark Bukangi re-enters Busan canal barrier hours after being guided out
In short
The shark Bukangi (부캉이), which stayed in an artificial canal in Busan for more than a month, was guided out on 21 October but came back inside the barriers set up to stop its return. On the morning of 22 October it was swimming in a roughly 30 m by 30 m area between the first and second barriers. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to open one side of the second net and discuss next steps, Dong-A Ilbo reported.
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The shark Bukangi (부캉이), which had stayed for more than a month in an artificial canal at Busan's North Port Waterside Park, has re-entered the barriers set up to stop its return, Yonhap and other Korean outlets reported on 22 October. It had been guided out of the canal the previous evening in a third guidance operation by the authorities. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
According to Yonhap, the shark moved out of the canal at about 18:00 on 21 October but kept circling near the canal entrance. At about 23:00 citizens saw it inside the first barrier, a pontoon, which is a floating work structure about 3 to 4 m wide with a net fixed to it. Dong-A Ilbo, citing the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said the shark passed the first net under the pontoon at about 23:10; the net had been set up about 60 m from the canal exit. Kyunghyang Shinmun gave a different sequence, saying the shark went fully out to sea at about 23:30 and then turned back toward the canal. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
On the morning of 22 October the shark was in an area of about 30 m by 30 m between the pontoon and the second net, surfacing about once a minute between the first and second pedestrian bridges. To get back to its earlier spot at the fourth and fifth pedestrian bridges, it would have to pass two more net barriers with yellow buoys. YouTubers who stayed at the site overnight suggested it may have passed under the pontoon. The agencies also believe it went through the net under the pontoon, Dong-A Ilbo reported, and plan to send in an underwater drone to find the exact cause. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Dong-A Ilbo reported that the ministry intends to open one side of the second net so the shark can move back and forth, to reduce the stress of the limited space, and to discuss further measures. It added that the shark had also gone back into the canal after a second guidance attempt on 2 October. Newsis said a joint rescue team including the ministry and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute used nets, floating structures and divers on 21 October. It described the shark as a 3 m female first seen at the canal on the 18th of the previous month, and said more than 1.6 million people had come to see it. [ 2 , 4 ]
About 20 citizens out for walks, along with YouTubers who stayed overnight, gathered at the canal to watch, and citizens expressed regret that the shark had not left for the open sea. One citizen told Yonhap they worried because the weather was getting colder, and another asked why Busan city could not block the canal properly and whether foreign experts should be consulted. Kim Hyun-woo (김현우) of the National Institute of Fisheries Science told Kyunghyang Shinmun the exact reason is not known, and that disruption of the shark's senses by underwater noise from ships and urban magnetic fields is presumed. [ 1 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The third attempt to lead the shark out to sea has not worked, and authorities are now reviewing how it got past the first barrier. Large crowds have come to see the shark, and citizens interviewed voiced concern for it.
Key facts
- Bukangi had stayed for more than a month in the artificial canal at Busan's North Port Waterside Park before authorities' third guidance operation. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- The shark moved out of the canal at about 18:00 on 21 October but kept circling near the canal entrance. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- The first barrier is a pontoon, a floating work structure about 3 to 4 m wide, with a net fixed to it; the shark passed through it and re-entered. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- On the morning of 22 October the shark was in an area of about 30 m by 30 m between the pontoon and the second net. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reported that the ministry plans to open one side of the second net to reduce the shark's stress in the limited space. [ 4 ]
- Newsis described the shark as a 3 m female and said more than 1.6 million people had come to see it. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Bukangi re-entered the area inside the first barrier, the pontoon, after being guided out of the canal on 21 October. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The shark was moved out of the canal at about 18:00 on 21 October after the third guidance operation. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- On the morning of 22 October the shark was between the first barrier and the second net, in an area of about 30 m by 30 m. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- To return to its earlier spot at the fourth and fifth pedestrian bridges, the shark would have to pass two more net barriers with yellow buoys. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- How the shark got past the first barrier. YouTubers raised the possibility that it passed under the pontoon, and Dong-A Ilbo said the agencies believe it went through the net under the pontoon, but they plan to use an underwater drone to establish the exact cause.
- When the shark entered the open sea and when it turned back. Kyunghyang Shinmun says it went fully out to sea at about 23:30 and then turned back, while Dong-A Ilbo says it passed the first net at about 23:10 and Yonhap says citizens saw it inside the pontoon at about 23:00.
- Why the shark does not go out to sea and keeps returning to the narrow canal. Kim Hyun-woo (김현우) of the National Institute of Fisheries Science said the exact reason cannot be known, and that disruption of its senses by underwater noise from ships and urban magnetic fields is presumed.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On 21 October the shark moves out of the canal after the third guidance operation. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- On 21 October citizens see the shark inside the pontoon, the first barrier. [ 1 , 3 ]
- On 21 October the shark passes the first net under the pontoon, according to the ministry as cited by Dong-A Ilbo. [ 4 ]
- On 21 October the shark goes fully out to sea before turning back, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun. [ 5 ]
- On 22 October Yonhap reports the shark surfacing about once a minute between the first and second pedestrian bridges, with about 20 citizens watching. [ 1 ]