'Bukang-i' missing for second day at Busan's North Port

Bukang-i, the blacktip shark that drew large crowds of tourists to Busan's North Port, has not been seen for a second consecutive day. Authorities expect the shark to soon expand its range and head out to open sea.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science and other agencies conducted monitoring Wednesday across North Port, including the waters off the International Ferry Terminal pier where Bukang-i had frequently appeared, but the shark was not found.

After authorities guided Bukang-i out of the waterfront park channel on Oct. 21, the shark was spotted for three consecutive days starting Saturday in the waters off the International Ferry Terminal pier, but has not been seen since Tuesday. Authorities expanded their observation range Wednesday to include the waters off Pier No. 1, outside the waterfront park channel.

Officials said they could not conclude that Bukang-i had left the North Port area simply because it had not been detected during monitoring. The shark may have moved into deeper, wider waters beyond the narrow, shallow channel as it prepares to venture into the open sea. Agencies said it is highly likely Bukang-i is expanding its range outside the channel.

"We expect Bukang-i to gradually widen its activity range and eventually head out to open sea," an official from the National Institute of Fisheries Science said.

Authorities plan to continue monitoring the North Port area for now.

Bukang-i was first spotted in the waterfront park channel on Sept. 18 and remained there for more than a month. During that period, about 1.6 million people visited North Port to see the shark.

After the third open-sea guidance operation on Oct. 21 brought Bukang-i out of the channel, the shark was spotted near North Port's Pier No. 1. On Saturday, it appeared in the waters off the International Ferry Terminal pier, about 2 kilometers away, showing signs of expanding its range.