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The iconic great white in the Mediterranean waters are on the verge of vanishing, with unlawful fishing practices being a key factor to their rapid population drop.

This conclusion is based on research by scientists, who partnered with an ocean protection organization. They indicate that several critically endangered species – like the great white shark – are being sold in marketplaces across North Africa.

Great white sharks are one of more than 20 Mediterranean shark species shielded by international agreements, which makes it illegal to target them or to offer them for sale.

However, by observing harbors along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, investigators found that at least 40 great white sharks have been killed there in 2025 alone.

Footage from social media showing endangered sharks being landed at North African ports has been authenticated.

One video showed a sizeable great white shark being pulled from a boat from a fishing boat in Algeria. A separate video, recorded in Tunisia, shows heads and fins of what appears to be a short-finned mako shark, which is also a protected and endangered species.

Remaining Habitat

The project head, stated that many shark species – white sharks in particular – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in recent decades.

"No other stretch 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 become extinct in the near future."

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

In their most recent effort to locate and research the animals, the team worked in the Strait of Sicily – an area considered a "final refuge" in the Mediterranean for several endangered shark species.

An important goal of their mission was to attach a satellite tag onto a white shark – something that has not yet been accomplished in the Mediterranean Sea.

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

After two weeks of work – laying bait, collecting water samples to search for shark DNA and using remote cameras – the researchers failed to encounter any sharks to tag.

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

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

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

It is not clear whether that animal was caught by accident in fishing gear, or if it was hunted.

The team, however, estimates 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.

Sharks for Sale

The team, along with local partners, are monitoring several fishing ports in the region. Evidence shows that protected sharks are caught, landed and offered for sale in countries including Tunisia and Algeria.

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

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

The agreement states "they must be returned to the sea alive [where] possible". Those rules do not tackle unintentional catch and enforcement is variable from country to country.

A conservationist noted that his own research found multiple white 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 chance of recovery."

What Can Be Done?

In less affluent areas in North Africa, fishing communities who catch sharks might face the choice of whether to feed their family, 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 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 added, "we've got to act very quickly."