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Great white sharks in the Mediterranean basin are in danger of disappearing, with poaching being a significant driver to their alarming decline.

This assessment is based on studies conducted by experts, who partnered with an marine preservation group. They note that some of the most threatened species – including great white sharks – are found on sale in ports across Northern African nations.

These sharks are one of over twenty Mediterranean shark species shielded by international agreements, which prohibits to catch them or to trade them.

However, by monitoring fishing ports along the North African Mediterranean shoreline, investigators discovered that no fewer than 40 great white sharks have been slaughtered in that region in 2025 alone.

Footage from social media showing protected sharks being brought dead into North African ports has been independently verified.

A particular clip showed a big shark being pulled from a boat from a trawler in Algeria. A separate video, filmed in Tunisia, shows parts of what appears to be a mako shark, which is also a threatened and protected species.

Final Refuge

The lead researcher, stated that many populations of sharks – great whites especially – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in recent decades.

"No other stretch of water is fished like the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The effects of large-scale fishing has been increasing... and it's plausible that they will go extinct in the foreseeable future."

The population of great whites in the Mediterranean is now listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

In their latest attempt to locate and research the animals, the team worked in the waters between Sicily and North Africa – an area known as a "last stronghold" in the Mediterranean for several endangered shark species.

An important goal of their expedition was to attach a satellite tag onto a great white – something that has never been done in the Mediterranean Sea.

To attempt this, the researchers used over three tons of bait – including frozen fish parts and 500 litres of scent oil to create a "scent trail" that many sharks can sense from far off.

After two weeks of work – baiting the ocean, collecting water samples to look for genetic material and using subsea cameras – the researchers did not manage to find any sharks to tag.

They captured only a brief glimpse of one 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 learned that a small great white had been captured and killed in a regional fishery – just 20 nautical miles from where they were working.

It is unknown whether that animal was ensnared unintentionally in fishing gear, or if it was targeted.

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

The scientists, along with local partners, are observing various harbors in the region. Findings shows that protected sharks are taken and traded in countries including several North African nations.

The rules that protect sharks are multifaceted. Currently, 24 threatened species have international legal 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 released unharmed and alive [where] possible". Those rules do not tackle unintentional catch and compliance varies from one place to another.

A marine advocate noted that his own investigation found multiple white sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a seeming silver lining in the fact that white sharks were appearing in trade.

"It shows that there is life remaining," he said. "And if we can protect this, there is a possibility of comeback."

The Path Forward

In less affluent areas in North Africa, fishermen who catch sharks might face the decision of whether to earn a livelihood, or throw back an endangered shark to the ocean.

"Why would they throw sharks back into the sea when they must feed their households?" asked a scientist. "If you assist and guide them in more selective fishing, they will not catch protected species."

An advocate added that if countries around the Mediterranean collaborated, "there is hope."

"But," he stated, "we've got to act very quickly."