🔗 Share this article The Great White Risk Extinction in the Mediterranean Sea, Scientists State Great white sharks in the Mediterranean waters are in danger of disappearing, with illegal fishing being a major contributor to their rapid population drop. This finding is based on studies conducted by experts, who collaborated with an marine preservation group. They note that some of the most threatened species – like the great white shark – are appearing for sale in marketplaces across the North African coast. Great whites are one of in excess of 20 Mediterranean shark species shielded by international agreements, which makes it illegal to fish for them or to sell them. However, by surveying docks along the North African Mediterranean shoreline, investigators found that a minimum of forty great white sharks have been slaughtered in that region in the single year of 2025. Conservationists and scientists say they have witnessed protected species for sale in fish markets in several countries. Videos shared online showing endangered sharks being unloaded in North African ports has been confirmed. A particular clip showed a big shark being hauled ashore from a fishing boat in an Algerian port. Another, filmed in Tunisia, shows remains and fins of what appears to be a mako shark, which is also a threatened and protected species. Last Shark Stronghold The experts worked from a ship in the Sicily Strait. The project head, clarified that many populations of sharks – particularly great whites – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in the past years. "No other sea is subjected to such fishing pressure as the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The impact of industrial fishing has been intensifying... and it's plausible that they will become extinct in the coming years." The Mediterranean great whites is now listed as Critically Endangered by the key international body. In their most recent effort to locate and research the animals, the team worked in the Sicilian Strait – an area considered a "last stronghold" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk. One key aim of their expedition was to fit a satellite tracking tag onto a shark – something that has never been done in the Mediterranean Sea. To try this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of fish bait – including frozen fish parts and a substantial volume of scent oil to create a "fat slick" that many sharks can smell from hundreds of metres away. After two weeks of work – chumming the water, taking samples of seawater to test for environmental DNA and using underwater cameras – the researchers failed to encounter any sharks to tag. They captured only a brief glimpse of one blue shark on their cameras. "It's discouraging," the lead researcher said. "It just shows how damaged this habitat is." During their search for remaining sharks, they also were informed that a small great white had been caught and killed in a North African fishery – just 20 nautical miles from where they were working. It is unknown whether that animal was accidentally caught in fishing gear, or if it was deliberately caught. The team, however, believes that over forty great white sharks have been harvested in that area. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized. Sharks for Sale An investigation in Tunisia in 2023 discovered protected sharks being offered for sale. The team, along with colleagues in North Africa, are keeping watch on multiple ports in the region. Evidence shows that sharks under protection are caught, landed and offered for sale in countries including Tunisia and Algeria. The rules that protect sharks are complicated. Currently, 24 threatened species have global protection – like makos and hammerheads. An multinational pact states that those species cannot be "retained on board, transhipped, landed, transferred, stored, sold or displayed or offered for sale". The agreement mandates "they must be released unharmed and alive [where] possible". Those rules do not address incidental capture and enforcement is variable from country to country. The researchers used remote monitoring gear to survey the region. A conservationist noted that his own investigation found a number of sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a unexpected hopeful sign in the fact that white sharks were being found in markets. "It shows that there is animals still there," he said. "And if we can protect this, there is a hope for revival." Possible Solutions In poorer communities in North Africa, fishermen who catch sharks might face the decision of whether to provide for their families, or release a protected animal to the ocean. "Why would they discard their catch into the sea when they need food for their children?" asked a scientist. "If you assist and guide them in more responsible fishing, they will not catch protected species." Another expert added that if countries around the Mediterranean joined forces, "there is hope." "But," he continued, "we've got to act very quickly."