West Sea Popular With Sharks
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Global warming has made the West Sea an ideal habitat for sharks but a dangerous one for beach goers.
A shark warning was issued over the weekend as rising temperatures will attract sharks over the next two months.
``The warning will remain in effect until temperatures in the waters drop below 11 degrees Celsius,'' Kim Jong-sup, an official at the South Chungcheong Provincial Government, told The Korea Times.
Sharks live in waters where temperatures hover between 11 and 22 degrees Celsius. He warned that sharks are likely to gather around coastal surface waters until late July.
Scuba divers and ``haenyeo'' ― female divers who scoop up such lucrative crustaceans as shells, crabs and trepang ― are especially at risk from shark attacks, he added.
Six people have fallen victim to shark attacks since 1981, with the most recent taking place in June 2005.
``In-shore sharks are mostly seen by haenyeo,'' Kim said. ``People are obliged to report shark sightings to authorities immediately. Upon such a report, the government suspends any type of inshore fishing and other activities including scuba diving.''
Two Great White Sharks were reportedly captured last month near an island off the province, with six other man-eaters being found in the area recently.
The government plans to distribute a leaflet containing guidelines on ways of escaping a shark attack to inshore fishers and beach goers.
``To avoid shark attacks, swimmers should move in groups and avoid entering the water if bleeding,'' the official said.
Recent global warming is a ``bitter-sweet'' experience for fishermen.
Previously, octopi were hardly seen around the region. However, fishermen in the central West Sea are reporting big catches of octopus, crab and flatfish since last year.
According to the South Sea Fisheries Research Institute, sea temperature rose 1 degree Celsius in recent years.
``Although the change is insignificant for humans, it has a huge impact on the overall maritime ecosystem,'' said an official at the institute.