Residents watch the shark known as "Bukang-i" swimming in the waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Sunday, the final day of the chuseok holiday. [Yonhap]
Residents watch the shark known as "Bukang-i" swimming in the waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, on Sunday, the final day of the chuseok holiday. [Yonhap]

Efforts to guide "Bukang-i," a shark that has spent 12 days in the artificial waterway at Bukhang Waterfront Park in Dong-gu, Busan, back to the open sea are set to begin Tuesday.

The Busan city government said it will use vessels and water pumps starting at 10 a.m. to steer the shark out of the waterfront park and into the open sea.

The operation is being led by the National Institute of Fisheries Science and carried out jointly with the city of Busan, Busan Port Authority, Busan Facilities Corporation, the Korea Coast Guard, the fire department, police and Dong-gu district.

Vessels and water pumps will push water from inside the waterway toward the open sea, nudging the shark in that direction. The approach draws on a 2004 rescue case in Massachusetts in which a great white shark stranded in a salt marsh was successfully guided back to open water.

Rather than capturing the shark or physically disturbing it, authorities aim to encourage it to move on its own.

A 4.6-ton coast guard patrol boat and a 3-ton rescue vessel will each deploy water pumps to direct Bukang-i toward the sea. Two fire department rescue boats will also take part.

Outside the artificial waterway, a coast guard rescue vessel and the Central Maritime Special Rescue Unit will be stationed to confirm whether the shark has reached open water and to respond to any contingencies.

If the water-pump method fails, authorities plan to use a custom-made net fitted to the width and depth of the waterway to guide the shark out.

However, the net option is expected to take considerably more time, given the manufacturing lead time involved.

Throughout the operation, the city said it will continuously monitor Bukang-i's condition and adjust the method and pace to prevent excessive stress on the animal.

A specialist from the National Institute of Fisheries Science with expertise in shark behavior will be aboard a coast guard vessel to observe the shark on-site.

The 3.5-meter shark first appeared in the Bukhang Waterfront Park waterway on Sept. 18 and has been surfacing at relatively regular intervals since.

A recent on-site assessment by the National Institute of Fisheries Science found the shark's activity levels and breathing to be stable.

However, authorities determined that the waterway's width, depth and limited connection to the open sea restrict the shark's ability to feed and move freely.

A prolonged stay in the channel risks a gradual decline in the shark's physical condition, prompting the decision to guide it back to its natural habitat.


husn7@heraldcorp.com