🔗 Share this article The Great White Risk Disappearing in the Mediterranean Sea, Scientists State These formidable predators in the Mediterranean Sea are on the verge of vanishing, with poaching being a significant driver to their worrying decrease. This conclusion is based on research by scientists, who partnered with an ocean protection organization. They report that several critically endangered species – including great white sharks – are appearing for sale in marketplaces across the North African coast. Great whites are one of over twenty Mediterranean shark species safeguarded by global treaties, which makes it illegal to target them or to sell them. However, by observing harbors along the coastline of North Africa, the research team uncovered that at least 40 great white sharks have been slaughtered in that region in the single year of 2025. Experts say they have documented endangered species for sale in fish markets in several countries. Videos shared online showing protected sharks being brought dead into North African ports has been confirmed. One piece of footage showed a large great white being hauled ashore from a trawler in an Algerian port. A separate video, taken in a Tunisian location, shows parts of what is believed to be a mako shark, which is also a threatened and protected species. Final Refuge The scientific team worked from a ship in the Strait of Sicily. The project head, stated that many populations of sharks – white sharks in particular – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in the last few decades. "No other stretch of water is exploited as heavily as the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The consequences of commercial fishing has been increasing... and it's possible that they will vanish in the foreseeable future." The Mediterranean white shark population is now designated as Critically Endangered by the key international body. In their most recent effort to locate and research the predators, the team worked in the Sicilian Strait – an area identified as a "key remaining habitat" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk. One key aim of their project was to attach a satellite tag onto a shark – something that has not yet been accomplished in the Mediterranean Sea. To try this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of chum – including frozen mackerel and tuna scraps and a substantial volume of scent oil to create a "fat slick" that many sharks can detect from a great distance. Even after a fortnight of effort – chumming the water, collecting water samples to look for genetic material and using remote cameras – the researchers did not manage to find any sharks to tag. They captured only a brief glimpse of one blue shark species on their submarine cameras. "It's disappointing," the lead researcher said. "It just shows how damaged this habitat is." As the team searched for surviving sharks, they also were informed that a small great white had been captured and killed in a North African fishery – just not far from where they were working. It is not clear whether that animal was ensnared unintentionally in fishing gear, or if it was hunted. The team, however, calculates that over forty great white sharks have been taken along that coastline. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized. Sharks for Sale An investigation in North African markets in 2023 discovered protected sharks being offered for sale. The scientists, along with colleagues in North Africa, are observing various harbors in the region. Evidence shows that sharks under protection are captured, brought to port, and sold in countries including several North African nations. The regulations safeguarding sharks are multifaceted. Currently, 24 threatened species have treaty-based safeguards – including mako, angel, threshers and hammerheads. An international agreement 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 returned to the sea alive [where] possible". Those rules are not designed for incidental capture and implementation differs from one place to another. The researchers used remote monitoring gear to search the area. A conservationist noted that his own inquiry found a number of sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a unexpected hopeful sign in the fact that white sharks were appearing in trade. "It shows that there is wildlife left," he said. "And if we can protect this, there is a chance of recovery." Possible Solutions In less affluent areas in North Africa, fishermen who catch sharks might face the dilemma of whether to provide for their families, or return a threatened species to the ocean. "Why would they throw sharks back into the sea when they require sustenance for their families?" asked a local expert. "If you assist and guide them in more sustainable fishing, they will not catch protected species." An advocate added that if countries around the Mediterranean joined forces, "there is hope." "But," he stated, "we've got to act very quickly."