Fin Injury to 'North Port Shark' Bukang-i... NIFS: "No Health Issues"
The right pectoral fin of Bukangi, the shark that has been unable to leave the artificial waterway at North Port Waterfront Park in Busan for a month, has been found to be partially damaged. Fisheries authorities suspect the injury was caused by friction against the waterway wall, but believe it is unlikely to pose a serious threat to the shark's health.
According to Yonhap News on October 18, footage filmed by citizens that day showed the tip of Bukangi's right fin turning white and appearing to be partly split. One citizen said Bukangi seemed to have injured its fin while swimming close to the right-hand wall of the waterway.
On the 29th, citizens greeted Bukangi the shark as rescue boats and rubber boats from the Busan Coast Guard and the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters sprayed water to drive it out of the waterway at North Port Waterfront Park in Buk-gu, Busan. Despite rescue efforts by the coast guard and fire authorities, the shark had still not left the waterway as of 1 p.m. that day.
Yonhap News
The National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), which has been monitoring Bukangi, also confirmed the injury through a field researcher. The institute suspects the fin was damaged when its tip scraped against the wall as the shark swam nearby. No bleeding was observed, and the injury is not currently considered serious enough to affect the shark's health.
An NIFS official said, "Sharks tend to recover from skin injuries quite quickly, so this fin injury is not a major cause for concern." However, because continued contact with the wall could delay recovery, the institute plans to keep monitoring the fin along with the existing injury to the shark's snout.
Bukangi previously injured its snout after colliding with organisms attached to the waterway wall, including oyster shells.
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Bukangi, a blacktip shark about 3 meters long, was first spotted on September 18 in the artificial waterway at North Port Waterfront Park. Authorities made two attempts to rescue it but failed to return it to the sea. They are now monitoring its health rather than attempting to capture it by force, and will wait for Bukangi to leave the waterway on its own.
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