Authorities halt daily monitoring as Busan shark goes unseen for 4 days

Marine authorities shifted to responding to public sightings of Bukangi in Busan after monitoring teams failed to spot the dusky shark for four consecutive days. The roughly 3-meter-long female had spent more than a month in an artificial waterway at North Port Waterfront Park before being seen near the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal. Officials stopped further intervention after the shark returned to the waterway following a third attempt to guide it out, and whether it has reached open water remains unclear.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science suspended routine field monitoring and assembled a standby team to investigate public sightings.

Bukangi was first found in the park’s waterway on Sept. 18, and authorities made three attempts to guide it toward open water.

After disappearing from view on Oct. 23, the shark was spotted near the passenger terminal around noon the next day, about 2 kilometers from the channel entrance.

The shark was last observed near the terminal through Monday and was swimming normally with no apparent health concerns.

Dusky sharks favor water temperatures between 18 and 26 degrees Celsius; the water near the terminal measured 19.4 degrees at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

Published Oct 30, 2026 9:25 pm KST

Bukangi the shark swims inside an artificial waterway at Busan’s North Port Waterfront Park, Oct. 22, after passing through a barrier and returning to the channel following a third attempt to guide it out the previous day. Yonhap

Korean marine authorities have shifted from daily monitoring to responding to public sightings of Bukangi, a dusky shark named after the North Port waterway in which it was found, after monitoring teams failed to spot it for four consecutive days, officials said Friday.

The shark had spent more than a month in an artificial waterway at Busan’s North Port Waterfront Park.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science said it had suspended routine field monitoring around the port and assembled a standby team to investigate sightings reported by the public.

With the shark roaming farther and spending longer underwater, tracking its movements had become increasingly difficult for the small monitoring team, the institute said.

The roughly 3-meter-long female was first discovered in the park’s waterway on Sept. 18. Authorities made three attempts to guide it toward open water, concerned that the narrow channel was unsuitable for a prolonged stay.

Following the third attempt on Oct. 21, Bukangi slipped through a barrier back into the waterway and continued circling near its entrance. Officials halted further intervention to allow the shark to leave on its own.

It disappeared from view on Oct. 23, then was spotted again around noon the next day near the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal, about 2 kilometers from the channel entrance. The shark was observed near the terminal through Monday, swimming normally with no apparent health concerns.

Monitoring teams have not spotted it since Tuesday, despite extending their search to areas including Pier 5. Public sightings were reported that day, but none have been received since Wednesday.

Experts suggest Bukangi is exploring a wider area as it adjusts to deeper waters beyond the shallow channel.

“As Bukangi’s range has expanded, the likelihood of spotting it in the waters off the port has become very low,” an institute official said.

Cooling waters may also have prompted the shark to move. Dusky sharks favor water temperatures between 18 and 26 degrees Celsius. Near the terminal where Bukangi was last seen, the temperature fell to 19.4 degrees Celsius at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

Whether the shark has left the port for open water remains unclear.

“We would need to wait about a week from when it disappeared from view before concluding that it has moved out to open water,” the official said.

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在监测小组连续四天未能发现这条名为“布坎吉”（Bukangi）的暗色鲨后，釜山海洋当局转而响应公众的目击报告。这条体长约3米的雌性暗色鲨在北港滨水公园的人工水道中停留了一个多月后，出现在釜山港国际客运码头附近。在第三次尝试将其引出人工水道后，鲨鱼返回了水道，因此当局停止了进一步的干预措施。目前尚不清楚它是否已到达开阔水域。

国立水产科学研究所暂停了例行实地监测，并组建了一支待命小组，调查公众目击事件。

9 月 18 日，人们首次在公园的水道中发现了 Bukangi，当局曾三次尝试将其引导至开阔水域。

10 月 23 日鲨鱼消失后，第二天中午左右，有人在客运码头附近发现了它，距离航道入口约 2 公里。

这条鲨鱼最后一次被人看到是在周一，当时它在码头附近活动，一切正常，没有明显的健康问题。

灰鲭鲨喜欢水温在 18 至 26 摄氏度之间的水域；周四下午 12:30，码头附近的水温为 19.4 摄氏度。

发布于2026年10月30日晚上9:25（韩国标准时间）

10月22日，在釜山北港海滨公园，鲨鱼布坎吉穿过一道屏障后返回人工水道。此前一天，人们曾三次尝试将其引出水道，但均以失败告终。韩联社报道。

韩国海洋当局官员周五表示，在监测小组连续四天未能发现“布坎吉”（Bukangi）这条暗色鲨鱼后，当局已将监测方式从每日监测转变为对公众目击报告做出回应。“布坎吉”是一条以其发现地北港水道命名的暗色鲨鱼。

这条鲨鱼在釜山北港滨水公园的人工水道里待了一个多月。

国立水产科学研究所表示，已暂停港口周围的例行现场监测，并组建了一支待命小组，调查公众报告的目击事件。

该研究所表示，由于鲨鱼的活动范围越来越广，在水下停留的时间越来越长，追踪其行踪对于小型监测团队来说变得越来越困难。

这条体长约 3 米的雌性鲨鱼于 9 月 18 日首次在公园的水道中被发现。当局曾三次尝试将其引至开阔水域，因为他们担心狭窄的水道不适合鲨鱼长时间停留。

10月21日，在第三次尝试后，布坎吉再次穿过障碍物进入水道，并在入口附近继续徘徊。官员们停止了进一步的干预，让鲨鱼自行离开。

10月23日，这条鲨鱼消失在人们的视线中，第二天中午左右，有人在釜山港国际客运码头附近再次发现了它，该码头距离航道入口约2公里。直到周一，人们仍在码头附近观察到这条鲨鱼，它游动正常，没有明显的健康问题。

尽管监测小组已将搜索范围扩大到包括 5 号码头在内的区域，但自周二以来仍未发现该生物。当天曾有公众报告目击事件，但自周三以来未再收到任何报告。

专家认为，布坎吉正在探索更广阔的区域，以适应浅水航道以外的更深水域。

“随着布坎吉的活动范围扩大，在港口附近水域发现它的可能性已经变得非常低，”该研究所的一名官员说。

水温下降也可能是促使鲨鱼移动的原因之一。灰鲭鲨偏好水温在18至26摄氏度之间的水域。在布坎吉最后一次被目击的码头附近，周四下午12点30分水温降至19.4摄氏度。

鲨鱼是否已离开港口进入公海目前尚不清楚。

“我们需要等它从视野中消失大约一周时间，才能得出它已经游到开阔水域的结论，”这位官员说。

釜山将制定措施应对“布干吉”鲨鱼来访。

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釜山掀起“鲨鱼热”，10.2万人涌入影院观看《Bukangi》，为中秋假期拉开序幕。