Visitors to Kenting and areas along the west coast of the nation are being cautioned about the threat of shark attack, as biologists have detected bull sharks near Checheng (車城), Pintung County, over the past two months.
Hsu Hua-hsun (徐華遜) of National Taiwan Oceanic University said bull sharks are one of three aggressive types of sharks in the world, along with the great white and tiger sharks.
PHOTO: TSAI TSUNG-HSIEN, TAIPEI TIMES
Bull sharks can grow up to 3m in length, weigh more than 300kg, and have a fierce nature, Hsu said.
While bull sharks attacks have been recorded in other countries, they are rarely seen in Taiwan, Hsu said. Only four to five bull sharks were seen near the coast last year, mostly along the east coast.
Marine biologist Wang Kai-ting (王凱霆) said that bull sharks usually linger around estuaries or seaports, which means people are more likely to see them than other types of aggressive sharks. They are also involved in many of the reported shark attacks around the world, Wang said.
However, the recent reports of bull sharks near Taiwan were close to shore in the Kenting area, about 20km from Nanwan (南灣).
A fisherman nicknamed “A Fong” (阿風) said he first saw a bull shark last month after he had become trapped in one of his underwater nets. The 167kg-shark was found dead in the net.
“I discovered my nets had been damaged. At first I thought the damage had been caused by other fishermen, but it seemed to be caused by other creatures,” he said. “Later I heard from scuba divers that they had seen sharks, and about a week later, I found another shark trapped and dead in my net. That one weighed 326kg.”
The Kenting National Park Administration said its records show that fishermen have caught bull sharks in the open sea in the past, but it has no reports of sharks coming close to the beach. Nevertheless, it said it would keep a close watch along the coast.
People can report shark sightings by calling (08) 886-1321.
Unlike Australia and South Africa, few beaches in Taiwan are equipped with shark nets. The nation also lacks coastal observers and shark-alert mechanisms to protect the swimmers.
Marine scientists say they would like to determine if the increase in shark sightings is a consequence of climate change or a sign the sharks’ natural habitat is under threat.
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