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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 finding is based on research by scientists, who worked alongside an marine preservation group. They report that various at-risk marine animals – like the great white shark – are found on sale in fish markets across Northern African nations.

These sharks are one of in excess of 20 Mediterranean shark species safeguarded by global treaties, which prohibits to target 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 the single year of 2025.

Videos shared online showing protected sharks being landed at North African ports has been authenticated.

One piece of footage showed a big shark being hauled ashore from a fishing boat in an Algerian port. Another, taken in a Tunisian location, shows heads and fins of what is believed to be a protected mako, which is also a threatened and protected species.

Last Shark Stronghold

The lead researcher, stated that many shark populations – great whites especially – had suffered a severe drop in the Mediterranean in the last few decades.

"No other stretch of water is exploited as heavily as the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The impact of industrial fishing has been growing... and it's possible that they will go extinct in the coming years."

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 most recent effort to locate and research the animals, the team worked in the waters between Sicily and North Africa – an area identified as a "last stronghold" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk.

A primary objective of their mission was to attach a satellite tag onto a shark – something that has not yet been accomplished in the Mediterranean Sea.

To attempt this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of chum – including frozen mackerel and tuna scraps and a substantial volume of fish oil to create a "fat slick" that many sharks can detect from a great distance.

Even after a fortnight of effort – chumming the water, taking samples of seawater 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 shark on their cameras.

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

While the team was searching for remaining sharks, they also learned that a young great white shark had been captured and killed in a North African fishery – just not far from where they were working.

It is uncertain whether that animal was accidentally caught in gear, or if it was targeted.

The team, however, estimates that over forty great white sharks have been caught around that coast. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.

Illegal Shark Trade

The scientists, along with regional contacts, are keeping watch on multiple ports in the region. Documentation shows that protected sharks are taken and traded in countries including the region.

The regulations safeguarding sharks are complicated. Currently, two dozen endangered species have treaty-based safeguards – such as makos, angel sharks, threshers, and hammerheads.

An regional treaty states that those species cannot be "retained on board, transhipped, landed, transferred, stored, sold or displayed or offered for sale".

The agreement specifies "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.

A marine advocate noted that his own research found a number of 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 wildlife left," he said. "And if we can protect this, there is a hope for revival."

What Can Be Done?

In poorer communities in North Africa, fishermen who catch sharks might face the decision of whether to earn a livelihood, or return a threatened species to the ocean.

"Why would they discard their catch into the sea when they need food for their children?" asked a regional marine biologist. "If you provide alternatives and education in more selective fishing, they will not catch these sharks."

A conservationist added that if countries around the Mediterranean worked together, "there is hope."

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