Shark draws tens of thousands to Busan waterway despite safety alerts

3.5-meter shark spotted for fourth straight day; 1-meter fish found nearby fuels 'birth' rumors online

Residents photograph a shark that has been circling the waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Sunday. First spotted Friday, the shark has been unable to find its way back out to open water. Despite a city-issued safety alert, crowds flocked to the park over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the animal. [Yonhap]

A 3.5-meter shark has appeared for the fourth consecutive day in the waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park near Busan Station, and the discovery of a roughly 1-meter fish deeper in the channel has set off a wave of online speculation that the shark may have given birth.

According to the Busan city government and the Busan Coast Guard, the smaller fish was found inside the waterway on Sunday. The sighting spread quickly online, with many users suggesting the 3.5-meter shark had delivered pups in the channel.

Crowds pack Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Sunday to see the shark that has been circling the park's waterway since Friday. The city sent out a safety alert urging caution, but the warning did little to deter residents eager to see the animal in person. [Yonhap]

It has not been confirmed whether the fish is a shark pup, and the city is working to identify the species and determine whether it is related to the larger shark.

The park was packed with visitors over the weekend as residents turned out to see the shark for themselves. The city sent an emergency text alert urging the public to take safety precautions, but the warning was not enough to keep the crowds away.

Residents wait to catch a glimpse of a shark that has been stranded in the waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Sunday. Despite a city safety alert, tens of thousands visited the park over the weekend. [Yonhap]

Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have visited the park over the weekend to see the shark, according to Yonhap.

Visitors stood on their tiptoes and held their phones above their heads, waiting in the blazing sun for the shark to surface.

The shark rose to the surface roughly every 15 minutes, briefly exposing its fin and splashing the water — drawing gasps and cheers from the crowd each time.

Coast guard and fire department personnel respond after a shark measuring 3 to 4 meters appeared in the waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Friday. The coast guard, working with the fire department and the National Institute of Fisheries Science, attempted to guide the shark toward open water. [Yonhap]

The Busan Coast Guard received the first report of the shark at around 8:57 a.m. Friday, after a resident spotted it swimming close to a public walking path along the waterway.

Coast guard officers who responded consulted with the National Institute of Fisheries Science and initially attempted to guide the shark toward open water. However, over concerns that aggressive herding could provoke an attack, authorities have since stood down and are monitoring the situation, waiting for the shark to leave on its own.

The fisheries institute identified the shark as likely a bull shark, a species belonging to the family Carcharhinidae.

Bull sharks are found in subtropical waters across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, including along the Korean coast, and are classified as one of the more dangerous shark species to humans.

The institute said rising sea temperatures may have increased the presence of warm-water fish species in the area, possibly drawing the shark into the Bukhang waterway as it pursued prey.

jshan@heraldcorp.com