Busan plans to begin guiding the whale shark nicknamed Bucangi out of the North Port waterfront canal and back toward open water on September 29. The animal has remained in the canal for about ten days, drawing an estimated 560,000 visitors and turning the area into an unusual holiday attraction.
City officials, the Coast Guard, the National Institute of Fisheries Science and the Busan Port Authority agreed that waiting longer for the shark to leave on its own was unlikely to work. The first approach is expected to use water flow or pumps to encourage movement toward the sea, with a specially arranged net method available if that fails.
A careful return through a narrow canal
The operation is being designed around the narrow canal, where large vessels cannot easily maneuver. Authorities say the priority is to move the animal without injury while controlling crowds around the waterfront as the return effort begins.