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The iconic great white in the Mediterranean basin are on the verge of vanishing, with illegal fishing being a significant driver to their alarming decline.

This assessment is based on research by scientists, who partnered with an ocean protection organization. They report that some of the most threatened species – like the great white shark – are being sold in fish markets across the North African coast.

Great whites are one of more than 20 Mediterranean shark species protected under international law, which prohibits to target them or to offer them for sale.

However, by surveying docks along the North African Mediterranean shoreline, the research team found that a minimum of forty great white sharks have been killed there in 2025 alone.

Social media clips showing endangered sharks being brought dead into North African ports has been confirmed.

One video showed a sizeable great white shark being hauled ashore from a trawler in Algeria. Additional footage, filmed in Tunisia, shows parts of what appears to be a protected mako, which is also a threatened and protected species.

Final Refuge

The principal scientist, stated that many shark species – particularly great whites – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in recent 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 likely that they will vanish in the near future."

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

In their most recent effort to locate and research the sharks, the team worked in the Strait of Sicily – an area known as a "final refuge" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk.

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

To do this, the researchers used over three tons of bait – including frozen mackerel and tuna scraps and hundreds of liters of fish oil to create a "fat slick" that many sharks can sense from far off.

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

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

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

During their search for surviving sharks, they also received reports that a young great white shark had been caught and killed in a regional fishery – just not far from where they were working.

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

The team, however, calculates that over forty great white sharks have been harvested in that area. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.

Protected Sharks Traded

The team, along with regional contacts, are observing various harbors in the region. Documentation shows that protected sharks are taken and traded in countries including the region.

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

An international agreement 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 released unharmed and alive [where] possible". Those rules do not tackle unintentional catch and implementation differs from country to country.

A marine advocate noted that his own investigation found several great whites 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 animals still there," he said. "And if we can preserve this, there is a chance of recovery."

What Can Be Done?

In economically challenged regions in North Africa, fishermen 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 discard their catch into the sea when they require sustenance for their families?" asked a regional marine biologist. "If you assist and guide them in more selective fishing, they will not catch white sharks."

Another expert added that if countries around the Mediterranean joined forces, "there is hope."

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