Man-eating shark caught in East Sea

Summer vacationers hoping to frolic on the east coast will need to be extra careful as man-eating sharks have been spotted there.

The Pohang Coast Guard said Monday that a shortfin mako shark measuring 1.5-meter-long was found dead in the net of a fishing boat operating two kilometers off the coast of Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. The shark weighed 40 kilograms.

This is not the first time for a mako shark to be discovered dead near the coast. A dead 2.7-meter-long shark was also found along the coast of Yeongdeok on June 2. Similar cases of dead shark discoveries near the coast were recorded last year and also in 2007, all in the same region.

Shortfin mako sharks are the fastest moving sharks and are known to be dangerous as they can attack humans or obstruct boats. They are categorized in the lamnidae family.

The appearance of the shark in the East Coast can be attributed to the unusually high temperatures caused by global warming. It is rare to detect the shark in the sea as they usually appear in the west or the south coast between May and October. The sharks live in tropical or subtropical regions with water temperatures of over 20 degrees Celsius.

The police warned visitors to pay special attention while spending time near the shore.

“Call 122 immediately when a shark is found,” said a member of the coastguard.

Also visitors at the beach are advised not to swim or dive in the sea in the evening or at night. Experts say the best way to fend off the shark if it attacks is to strike the eyes or the nose of the shark. Also even if a shark is dead, people should be careful not to touch them because the sharp teeth and skin of the shark may cause injuries.

No case of human injury from shark attacks has been reported so far in Korea. <The Korea Times/Yun Suh-young>

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