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Great White Sharks Are on the Brink of Disappearing in the Mediterranean Sea, Researchers Warn
Great white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are on the verge of vanishing, with illegal fishing being a significant driver to their alarming decline.
This assessment is based on investigations carried out by researchers, who partnered with an ocean protection organization. They indicate that some of the most threatened species – like the great white shark – are being sold in fish markets across North Africa.
These sharks are one of more than 20 Mediterranean shark species safeguarded by global treaties, which prohibits to catch them or to trade them.
However, by observing harbors along the North African Mediterranean shoreline, the research team uncovered that at least 40 great white sharks have been slaughtered in that region in 2025 alone.
Videos shared online showing sharks under protection being unloaded in North African ports has been independently verified.
A particular clip showed a big shark being dragged onto land from a fishing boat in Algeria. A separate video, taken in a Tunisian location, shows heads and fins of what appears to be a protected mako, which is also a species at risk.
Remaining Habitat
The project head, clarified that many populations of sharks – particularly great whites – had suffered a severe drop in the Mediterranean in recent decades.
"No other sea is subjected to such fishing pressure as the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The impact of industrial fishing has been growing... and it's plausible that they will vanish in the near future."
The Mediterranean great whites is now designated as Critically Endangered by the key international body.
In their latest attempt to track and analyze the predators, the team worked in the Strait of Sicily – an area known as a "last stronghold" in the Mediterranean for several endangered shark species.
One key aim of their project was to attach a satellite tag onto a white shark – something that has remained unachieved in the Mediterranean Sea.
To do this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of fish bait – including frozen mackerel and tuna scraps and 500 litres of tuna oil to create a "fat slick" that many sharks can sense from far off.
Even after a fortnight of effort – chumming the water, sampling for DNA to search for shark DNA and using remote cameras – the researchers failed to encounter any animals to tag.
They captured only a fleeting sighting of one blue shark on their underwater cameras.
"It's discouraging," the lead researcher said. "It just shows how damaged this habitat is."
As the team searched for living sharks, they also learned that a young great white shark had been taken in a fishery off North Africa – just a short distance from where they were working.
It is uncertain whether that specimen was ensnared unintentionally in gear, or if it was deliberately caught.
The team, however, believes that in excess of 40 great white sharks have been harvested in that area. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.
Illegal Shark Trade
The scientists, along with colleagues in North Africa, are observing various harbors in the region. Findings shows that endangered sharks are caught, landed and offered for sale in countries including Tunisia and Algeria.
The regulations safeguarding sharks are multifaceted. Currently, numerous species have global protection – including mako, angel, threshers and hammerheads.
An international agreement states that those species cannot be "kept on boats, transferred, landed, stored, or sold".
The agreement specifies "they must be returned to the sea alive [where] possible". Those rules do not tackle unintentional catch and compliance varies from country to country.
A conservationist noted that his own research found multiple white sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a paradoxical element of hope in the fact that white sharks were turning up for sale.
"It shows that there is wildlife left," he said. "And if we can preserve this, there is a possibility of comeback."
Possible Solutions
In less affluent areas in North Africa, fishers who catch sharks might face the decision of whether to earn a livelihood, or return a threatened species to the ocean.
"Why would they release sharks into the sea when they need food for their children?" asked a regional marine biologist. "If you support them and train them in more responsible fishing, they will not catch white sharks."
Another expert added that if countries around the Mediterranean worked together, "there is hope."
"But," he continued, "we've got to act very quickly."
James Shepherd
A seasoned business strategist with over a decade of experience in digital marketing and corporate growth initiatives.
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