A young bull shark captured last month off the coast of Jhukeng Village (竹坑) in Pingtung County might be an indication of a school inhabiting near-shore waters off the nation’s most crowded beaches in Kenting (墾丁).
The shark was trapped by a fixed shore net and was slightly injured only 20km from a popular beach in Kenting. The shark is now living in a tank at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium.
The shark was the latest of five bull shark sightings in Pingtung over the past four years, with the sighting of a 2.5m bull shark in July last year and four bull sharks reported off Checheng Township (車城) in 2011, the Kenting National Park Administration said
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The administration said an unconfirmed shark sighting was reported at South Bay (南灣) in 2012.
Known for its aggressiveness, bull sharks, along with great white sharks and tiger sharks, are one of the three shark species most likely to attack humans, shark biologist Wang Kai-ting (王凱霆) said.
The bull shark is known to grow up to 3m in length and weigh more than 300kg and has a history of biting humans worldwide, Wang said.
The shark at the aquarium measures 1m in length and weights 30kg and has been recovering well, Wang said, adding that it is the first bull shark ever raised and exhibited in Taiwan.
Bull sharks are rarely seen in the nation’s waters and are mostly seen on the east coast, Wang said.
Wang has been tracking the shark population off the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) in Pingtung County for years and had detected adult bull sharks in 2011 without making a capture, he said.
Fish farming developed in the county since Typhoon Morakot in 2009 might be what attracts the bull sharks, Wang said, adding that the presence of adult and young sharks might be evidence of a larger population, and authorities must exercise caution to prevent potential shark attacks, he said.
The aquarium’s marine biologist Ho Hsuan-ching (何宣慶), however, said that the presence of a young shark is not a substantial indicator of a colony, as bull sharks are independent immediately after birth and the captured shark might be based elsewhere.
Among the tourist beaches near Checheng and Jhukeng are Haiko Beach (海口沙灘), within a 5km radius from where sharks have been spotted; South Bay and Houpihu (後壁湖) within 20km; and Siaowan (小灣) and Chuanfan Rock Beach (船帆石沙灘) within 30km, the administration said.
There has been no confirmed shark sighting in waters surrounding Kenting for nearly two decades, the administration said, adding that people should report suspected shark sightings to authorities.
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