Rescue Fails for Shark Stranded in Busan Port Canal

A 3.5-meter dusky shark wandered into Busan's North Port canal on September 18 and has stayed for eleven days. More than 600,000 visitors came to watch. A rescue attempt on Tuesday failed.

Five boats were deployed to spray water streams and push the shark toward the open sea. The shark, nicknamed Bukang-i after the Korean name for North Port, kept doubling back past the boats. Authorities called off the operation after more than five hours.

A second attempt is planned for Friday. Authorities will use a custom net matched to the canal's width and depth. Researchers say the 1.5-kilometer waterway, no deeper than four meters, is far shallower than the ocean where dusky sharks normally hunt. Busan named the shark an honorary city ambassador after 91 percent of respondents in an online poll backed the idea.