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Busan’s Stranded Shark Weakens as Authorities Prepare Third Rescue

Falling water temperatures have shortened the window for a complex pontoon-and-net operation to return the three‑metre dusky shark to open sea.

Overview

  • The three‑metre female dusky shark was first seen in the North Port canal on Sept. 18 and has remained trapped for more than a month despite two earlier rescue attempts.
  • Monitoring teams report no confirmed feeding and visible injuries to the snout and right pectoral fin, and ichthyologist Choi Yoon warned the shark may have only about two weeks to live as it weakens and water cools.
  • Officials plan a third rescue on Wednesday that will use nets secured to pontoons, vessels spraying water jets, underwater drones and divers while restricting pedestrian access near key bridges.
  • The site has drawn more than one million visitors, and bright lights and crowd disturbance have startled the shark and complicated monitoring and rescue work.
  • Dusky sharks can survive one to two months without food, but confinement in a shallow, barnacle‑lined canal raises the risk of exhaustion and injury and has forced authorities to balance nonlethal rescue tactics with crowd control and port traffic schedules.