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These formidable predators in the Mediterranean Sea are in danger of disappearing, with poaching being a key factor to their worrying decrease.

This conclusion is based on research by scientists, who partnered with an international conservation charity. They indicate that some of the most threatened species – including great white sharks – are appearing for sale in marketplaces across North Africa.

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

However, by observing harbors along the coastline of North Africa, investigators discovered that no fewer than 40 great white sharks have been slaughtered in that region in 2025 alone.

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

One piece of footage showed a big shark being hauled ashore from a trawler in Algeria. A separate video, taken in a Tunisian location, shows parts of what is believed to be a short-finned mako shark, which is also a protected and endangered species.

Last Shark Stronghold

The principal scientist, explained that many shark populations – particularly great whites – had plummeted in the Mediterranean in the last few decades.

"No other stretch of water is fished like 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 Mediterranean great whites is now classified as Critically Endangered by the global conservation union.

In their most recent effort to find and study the predators, the team worked in the Strait of Sicily – an area considered a "last stronghold" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk.

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

To try this, the researchers used over three tons of bait – including frozen mackerel and tuna scraps and 500 litres of fish oil to create a "scent trail" that many sharks can smell from hundreds of metres away.

After two weeks of work – chumming the water, sampling for DNA to look for genetic material and using subsea cameras – the researchers failed to encounter any specimens.

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

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

As the team searched for living sharks, they also learned that a juvenile great white had been captured and killed in a fishery off North Africa – just a short distance 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, estimates that in excess of 40 great white sharks have been harvested in that area. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.

Illegal Shark Trade

The scientists, along with local partners, are observing various harbors in the region. Evidence shows that sharks under protection are captured, brought to port, and sold in countries including Tunisia and Algeria.

The protective legislation are multifaceted. Currently, numerous species have international legal protection – including mako, angel, threshers 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 alive [where] possible". Those rules are not designed for accidental bycatch and implementation differs from nation to nation.

A expert noted that his own research found multiple white sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a unexpected hopeful sign 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 economically challenged regions in North Africa, fishing communities who catch sharks might face the decision of whether to earn a livelihood, or return a threatened species to the ocean.

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

An advocate added that if countries around the Mediterranean worked together, "there is hope."

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