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Great white sharks in the Mediterranean waters are on the verge of vanishing, with unlawful fishing practices being a major contributor to their alarming decline.

This conclusion is based on studies conducted by experts, who partnered with an international conservation charity. They report that some of the most threatened species – like the great white shark – are found on sale in marketplaces across North Africa.

Great whites are one of more than 20 Mediterranean shark species protected under international law, which renders it unlawful to fish for them or to sell them.

However, by observing harbors along the coastline of North Africa, the research team discovered that at least 40 great white sharks have been caught and killed there in 2025 alone.

Social media clips showing protected sharks being landed at North African ports has been independently verified.

One piece of footage showed a big shark being dragged onto land from a vessel 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 project head, stated that many shark populations – particularly great whites – had suffered a severe drop in the Mediterranean in the past years.

"No other sea is fished like the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The impact of industrial fishing has been growing... and it's plausible that they will go extinct in the near future."

The Mediterranean great whites is now listed as Critically Endangered by the key international body.

In their latest attempt to find and study the sharks, the team worked in the Strait of Sicily – an area identified as a "key remaining habitat" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk.

A primary objective of their project was to fit a satellite tracking tag onto a great white – something that has remained unachieved in the Mediterranean Sea.

To attempt this, the researchers used over three tons of chum – including frozen mackerel and tuna scraps and a substantial volume of scent oil to create a "oil slick" that many sharks can smell from hundreds of metres away.

After two weeks of work – baiting the ocean, taking samples of seawater to test for environmental DNA and using remote cameras – the researchers failed to encounter any sharks to tag.

They captured only a short sighting of one blue shark on their underwater cameras.

"It's disheartening," the lead researcher said. "It just shows how depleted this ecosystem is."

During their search for remaining sharks, they also were informed that a juvenile great white had been caught and killed in a regional fishery – just not far from where they were working.

It is unknown whether that specimen was accidentally caught in fishing gear, or if it was targeted.

The team, however, believes that more than 40 great white sharks have been harvested in that area. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.

Protected Sharks Traded

The researchers, along with colleagues in North Africa, are monitoring several fishing ports in the region. Documentation shows that sharks under protection are captured, brought to port, and sold in countries including the region.

The regulations safeguarding sharks are complicated. Currently, two dozen endangered species have global protection – like makos and hammerheads.

An international agreement states that those species cannot be "kept on boats, transferred, landed, stored, or sold".

The agreement mandates "they must be released unharmed and alive [where] possible". Those rules are not designed for accidental bycatch and enforcement is variable from one place to another.

A expert noted that his own inquiry found several great whites 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 wildlife left," he said. "And if we can preserve this, there is a chance of recovery."

Possible Solutions

In less affluent areas in North Africa, fishing communities who catch sharks might face the choice of whether to provide for their families, or return a threatened species to the ocean.

"Why would they release sharks into the sea when they require sustenance for their families?" asked a regional marine biologist. "If you provide alternatives and education in more responsible fishing, they will not catch white sharks."

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

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