Search for sharks off Primorye coast futile so far

VLADIVOSTOK, August 29 (Itar-Tass) -- The search for the sharks, which
attacked three people off the coast of the Primorsky Territory, was futile
so far. Seven fishing vessels were searching for the sharks last weekend.
Numerous Internet and mass media reports that the sea predator is caught
and destroyed were not proved true. The checks showed that the fishermen
caught spurdog and porbeagle safe for people.
"Special teams were made up of highly qualified fishermen and
scientists onboard the vessels. The search is on in the south of the
Primorsky Territory," a source in the emergency response staff, which was
set up in the territory particularly for catching sea predators, told
Itar-Tass.
Governor of the Primorsky Territory Sergei Darkin participated
personally in the search on Sunday. He set out in the sea onboard the
Yantar fishing vessel in order to make sure that all the effort is taken
to find and catch the sharks.
The only way to avoid an attack is to refuse completely from sea
bathing unless the sharks are caught, the press service in the Primorsky
territorial emergency service reported. The sea bathing in the Sea of
Japan (the East Sea) off the coast of the Primorsky Territory is dangerous
now, the press service said.
The scientists affirmed that a big shark could have appeared off the
Primorsky Territory, because the water became much cleaner recently. The
water contamination with the household wastewaters in the Pyotr Veliky Bay
has been critical for many years and some species of fish sensitive to the
water composition avoided the Primorye coastal waters. "Major projects,
which were implemented to improve the ecology in the Primorsky Territory,
including the restoration of the solid household waster dumping site in
Vladivostok, the commissioning of central wastewater treatment facilities,
have already improved the ecology of the offshore area," the press center
of the Primorsky territorial authorities reported.
The first shark attack on a swimmer in the Primorsky Territory was
reported on August 17 in the Telyakovsky Bay in southern Khasan district.
A 25-year-old man received numerous severe hip and bodily wounds and lost
both hands. On August 18, the shark attacked a 16-year-old teenager, who
received severe leg injuries, but already much far to the north off the
Zheltukhin Island. On August 27, a 26-year-old resident from the
settlement of Slavyanka in the Khasan district received slight shoulder
and bodily wounds from the shark.
The scientists claimed that several sharks of various species attack
people. According to the descriptions given by the eyewitnesses, this is
big white shark and blue-grey Maco shark, which came to the Primorye coast
in the pursuit for migrating fish schools.