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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
RSS