Authorities in Busan said Monday that they were restricting nighttime access to a waterfront park after large crowds continued to flock there to catch sight of a shark that had lingered in the area for a third day.
The roughly 3.5-meter shark was first spotted around 9 a.m. on Sept. 18 near Busan North Port. The animal is believed to be a dusky shark, although the National Institute of Fisheries Science has yet to formally confirm the species.
After receiving reports of the shark sighting, the Busan Coast Guard initially sought to steer it toward open waters. But the National Institute of Fisheries Science advised not to provoke the shark and to let it leave on its own.
The shark had still not left as of Monday, with crowds continuing to gather to watch it. Local media said nearly 30,000 visitors came to the North Port over the weekend to catch a glimpse. With numbers exceeding available security staff, authorities decided to restrict access to the park from 6:30 p.m. starting Monday.
Why the shark came this far — and stayed
While the shark has become something of a local celebrity, many are also wondering how it ended up in the waterway in the first place — and why it has yet to leave.
The most likely explanation is that it ended up in the waterway by accident. "It is very rare for sharks to come this far into the waterway. It is presumed to have followed its prey and gotten lost," a researcher at the National Institute of Fisheries Science told local media.
As sea temperatures rise, warm-water fish and the predators that feed on them, including sharks, have been rapidly moving northward.
The average sea surface temperature during the first six months of this year was 17.17 degrees Celsius, the highest since 2001, according to the institute.
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo also said that the shark was believed to have come to the area in search of food, as climate change has brought more warm-water fish to North Port.
“Looked at another way, the shark’s presence is evidence that the ecosystem at North Port Waterfront Park is that healthy,” he said on Facebook on Sunday. “We will continue to take care of North Port so that it can become a beautiful sea where diverse forms of life can coexist.”
seoy@heraldcorp.com
