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The iconic great white in the Mediterranean Sea are on the verge of vanishing, with illegal fishing being a major contributor to their rapid population drop.

This conclusion is based on research by scientists, who worked alongside an international conservation charity. They report that some of the most threatened species – such as the great white – are appearing for sale in ports across Northern African nations.

Great whites are one of over twenty Mediterranean shark species shielded by international agreements, which renders it unlawful to catch them or to trade them.

However, by monitoring fishing ports along the North African Mediterranean shoreline, the research team uncovered 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 landed at North African ports has been confirmed.

One piece of footage showed a large great white being pulled from a boat from a vessel in Algeria. A separate video, taken in a Tunisian location, shows heads and fins of what appears to be a short-finned mako shark, which is also a species at risk.

Last Shark Stronghold

The lead researcher, explained that many populations of sharks – particularly great whites – had plummeted in the Mediterranean in recent decades.

"No other body of water is subjected to such fishing pressure as the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The impact of industrial fishing has been increasing... and it's plausible that they will vanish in the coming years."

The Mediterranean white shark population is now listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

In their new mission to find and study the animals, the team worked in the waters between Sicily and North Africa – an area considered 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 white shark – something that has never been done in the Mediterranean Sea.

To do this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of fish bait – including baitfish and hundreds of liters of fish oil to create a "oil slick" that many sharks can sense from far off.

Despite working for two weeks – laying bait, sampling for DNA to search for shark DNA and using underwater cameras – the researchers failed to encounter any animals to tag.

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

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

During their search for remaining sharks, they also were informed that a juvenile great white had been taken in a regional fishery – just 20 nautical miles from where they were working.

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

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

Protected Sharks Traded

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

The protective legislation are multifaceted. Currently, 24 threatened species have international legal protection – like makos and hammerheads.

An regional treaty 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 enforcement is variable from nation to nation.

A expert noted that his own inquiry found multiple white sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a unexpected hopeful sign in the fact that white sharks were appearing in trade.

"It shows that there is animals still there," he said. "And if we can preserve this, there is a possibility of comeback."

What Can Be Done?

In poorer communities in North Africa, fishing communities who catch sharks might face the dilemma of whether to earn a livelihood, or throw back an endangered shark 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 provide alternatives and education in more sustainable fishing, they will not catch protected species."

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

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