A recent video has caused great alarm around the lake.
In recent days, a video has stirred up a lot of dust, which allegedly shows the dorsal fin of a shark in the waters of Lake Balaton. The footage went viral on TikTok, causing massive shock and horror among tourists and locals alike. Among the commenters, several people wrote about the failure of their vacation, fearing the presence of the "dangerous predator".
But is there really a shark swimming in our beloved lake? The Somogy Vármegyei Hírportál contacted Zsolt Szári, the CEO of Balatoni Halgazdálkózi Nonprofit Zrt., to clarify the situation. The specialist was no longer surprised by the topic.
The shark that wants to get from its saltwater habitat to Lake Balaton has a very difficult time - began Zsolt Szári, and explained why.
Not only would he have to make an unacceptably long journey, but fresh water wouldn't do his "health" much good either. In short: the shark does not live in fresh water, i.e. it is completely impossible for any species of shark to appear in Lake Balaton.
The question arises as to what they saw in Lake Balaton at that time, of which a video was even made. Zsolt Sári immediately knows the answer:
"It is not the first time that the news of the Balaton shark has surfaced, it is as much a myth and legend as the Balaton heck. What you see in the video is probably a hybrid busa breed, weighing 40-50 kilograms and nearly 30 years old. Their body length can reach one and a half meters. Hybrid buses started to be installed in Lake Balaton in the sixties".
These hybrid busás are exotic fish species that cannot breed in Lake Balaton.
@valterfishing Shark in Lake Balaton 😳 #balaton #horgaszat #foryou #nekedbe #fyp ♬ son original – Speedup 💗💸
They were deliberately introduced into the lake, and fisheries experts now expect them to "wear out" as they age.
When we see these individuals on the surface of the water near the shore, they either have an organ problem, or they are so old that they are on the verge of death.
This is when they come to the surface of the water and their dorsal fin is visible, which is much smaller than a shark's fin.
So the observed phenomenon can be attributed to the presence of a hybrid busa, which has been a resident of the lake for decades. It is therefore worth treating similar news with reservations, and rather relying on the opinions of experts.
Cover image: No need to worry, there are no sharks in Lake Balaton
Source: Facebook/Péter Fabó
