Busan to launch 3rd attempt to guide canal-trapped shark back to sea

BUSAN — Authorities in the southeastern port city of Busan were set to make a third attempt Wednesday afternoon to guide a shark back to the open sea as it has spent over a month trapped in a city canal.

A joint rescue team involving municipal and Coast Guard officials will use a net secured to a pontoon — a flat floating platform — to drive the shark out of the canal at Busan’s North Port, located about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The shark — named “Bukang-i” after Bukhang, the Korean word for North Port — was first spotted in the canal on Sept. 18. Since then, the canal park has turned into a major attraction, drawing over 1.6 million visitors as of Sunday.

After two previous attempts to guide the fish to the open sea failed, officials have waited for it to exit the canal on its own. But it has not, and officials decided to make a third attempt over concern it could die if water temperatures fall further.

In the latest operation, one vessel will tow the net while another sprays water jets to steer the shark toward the exit.

However, this time, personnel will be stationed atop the wide, barge-like pontoon to block the shark from leaping over the barrier. During the second rescue attempt, the shark jumped over the net and swam back into the canal.