BUSAN — A shark that has spent 19 days in an artificial canal at a waterfront park in Busan's North Port has been identified as a dusky shark, an endangered species.
The National Institute of Fisheries Science said on the 6th that the shark, nicknamed "Bukang-i," which has been in the waterfront park since Sept. 18, is a dusky shark.
When the shark first entered the canal, the institute examined its shape and estimated it was either a bignose shark or a dusky shark, both in the genus Carcharhinus. The two species are difficult to tell apart by sight, but the dusky shark has a pronounced ridge running between its first and second dorsal fins, a feature confirmed through video analysis.
Dusky sharks measure about 70 to 100 centimeters at birth and can grow up to 4.2 meters, making them a large shark species. They have a broad, rounded snout and triangular, serrated teeth in the upper jaw. Found in waters near the Korean Peninsula as well as tropical, subtropical and temperate seas worldwide, they feed on fish and squid.
Slow growth and reproduction have reduced their numbers, and the species is listed as endangered (EN) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In Korea, the shark was long regarded as the same species as the sandbar shark until it was first reported to academia as a separate, previously unrecorded species in 2019. Sightings have since been confirmed along coasts nationwide, including Namhae in South Gyeongsang Province, Samcheok in Gangwon State, Shinan in South Jeolla Province, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Busan.
The shark measures about 3 meters and was identified as female based on the shape of its reproductive organs on the underside of its body. The institute said it will continue monitoring the shark's swimming behavior and health, and will work with Busan city officials and other agencies if any abnormal signs emerge.
The shark has remained in the canal despite two attempts by rescue authorities to guide it out. Officials have decided to wait for it to swim out to open water on its own rather than mount another rescue operation. The institute plans to keep monitoring its swimming behavior and health.
Visitors to the North Port waterfront park to see the shark surpassed 1 million as of the previous day.
