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Great white sharks in the Mediterranean waters are in danger of disappearing, with poaching being a major contributor to their rapid population drop.

This finding is based on research by scientists, who partnered with an ocean protection organization. They report that various at-risk marine animals – such as the great white – are appearing for sale in ports across North Africa.

These sharks are one of in excess of 20 Mediterranean shark species shielded by international agreements, which makes it illegal to fish for them or to offer them for sale.

However, by surveying docks along the North African Mediterranean shoreline, investigators found that no fewer than 40 great white sharks have been slaughtered in that region in the single year of 2025.

Videos shared online showing protected sharks being brought dead into North African ports has been independently verified.

One video showed a large great white being dragged onto land from a trawler in an Algerian port. A separate video, recorded in Tunisia, shows parts of what is believed to be a protected mako, which is also a species at risk.

Final Refuge

The principal scientist, explained that many populations of sharks – particularly great whites – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in the last few decades.

"No other body of water is subjected to such fishing pressure as the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The consequences of commercial fishing has been increasing... and it's possible that they will go extinct in the near future."

The population of great whites in the Mediterranean is now classified as Critically Endangered by the global conservation union.

In their latest attempt to locate and research the predators, the team worked in the Sicilian Strait – an area known as a "final refuge" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk.

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

To attempt this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of bait – including frozen fish parts and a substantial volume of fish oil to create a "scent trail" that many sharks can smell from hundreds of metres away.

Even after a fortnight of effort – laying bait, sampling for DNA to test for environmental DNA and using underwater cameras – the researchers did not manage to find any specimens.

They captured only a fleeting sighting of one blue shark species on their submarine cameras.

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

As the team searched for surviving sharks, they also received reports that a juvenile great white had been caught and killed in a fishery off North Africa – just 20 nautical miles from where they were working.

It is uncertain whether that shark was accidentally caught in nets or lines, or if it was hunted.

The team, however, believes that in excess of 40 great white sharks have been taken along that coastline. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.

Protected Sharks Traded

The researchers, along with local partners, are observing various harbors in the region. Documentation shows that sharks under protection are taken and traded in countries including several North African nations.

The protective legislation are complicated. Currently, two dozen endangered species have global protection – including mako, angel, threshers and hammerheads.

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

The agreement specifies "they must be released alive [where] possible". Those rules are not designed for incidental capture and implementation differs from nation to nation.

A expert noted that his own inquiry found a number of sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a seeming silver lining in the fact that white sharks were being found in markets.

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

What Can Be Done?

In poorer communities in North Africa, fishers 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 must feed their households?" asked a regional marine biologist. "If you provide alternatives and education in more selective fishing, they will not catch white sharks."

Another expert added that if countries around the Mediterranean worked together, "there is hope."

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