As citizens flocked to see a shark spotted in Busan's North Port, the area around the waterfront park became crowded.
According to the Busan Coast Guard, the first report of a shark sighting in the North Port waterfront park's channel was received at 8:57 a.m. on September 18, and the shark has been observed for three consecutive days.
The National Fisheries Research Institute estimates the shark, which is brown and measures about 3 to 4 meters in length, to be a bull shark. However, it has not been confirmed whether all sightings from the 18th to the 20th are of the same individual.
News of the shark's appearance spread rapidly on social media, turning the North Port into an unexpected tourist attraction. Citizens took out their phones to capture photos and videos whenever the shark's fin broke the surface, and social media posts inquired about the shark's current location and visibility.
On the 20th, the parking lot at the North Port waterfront park was filled with vehicles from visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the shark, and long lines of people formed along the walking paths, waiting for the shark to reappear. Some visitors even traveled from Daegu on the KTX train to see the shark.
As the crowd continued to grow, safety measures were implemented. Access to the pedestrian bridge, known for providing good views of the shark, was restricted for safety reasons, and park officials urged visitors to be cautious to prevent accidents.
The National Fisheries Research Institute classifies the bull shark as a potentially dangerous species to humans among the sharks found in domestic coastal waters.
There are also records of incidents involving bull sharks. According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) operated by the Florida Museum of Natural History, there have been 119 cases of bull shark attacks where the person did not provoke the shark. Of these, 26 resulted in fatalities.
The authorities have refrained from actively capturing or driving away the shark due to safety concerns. After the first report on the 18th, the Coast Guard deployed the Central Maritime Special Rescue Team, coastal rescue boats, and patrol vessels to guide the shark back to sea. They even used equipment designed to remove dangerous species, but after about six hours, the operation was halted when the shark did not leave the channel. This decision was made based on the recommendation from the fisheries institute that forcing the shark could provoke aggressive behavior, and it is better to allow it to leave on its own.
There has been an increase in sightings of large sharks along the coast recently. According to the fisheries institute, there were 46 confirmed sightings of large shark species along the East Coast from January to June this year, a 3.8-fold increase from 12 sightings during the same period last year. The average surface water temperature along the East Coast from April to June this year was 16.3 degrees Celsius, which is 1.1 degrees higher than the average. The fisheries institute suggests that the expansion of warm-water prey species, such as mackerel and bluefin tuna, has contributed to the increase in large shark sightings.
It is also speculated that the shark in the North Port may have entered the channel in search of food. Ji Hwan-seong, a researcher at the National Fisheries Research Institute, explained that the shark likely came into the North Port in search of prey.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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