US EditionGreat white sharks face extinction in Mediterranean, say researchers
Illegal and industrial fishing have caused at least 40 great white sharks deaths in 2025, pushing the Mediterranean population to Critically Endangered status, researchers said.
- On Oct. 22, 2024, a multi-institution study involving US scientists and the UK charity Blue Marine Foundation warned Mediterranean great white sharks face disappearance, now classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
- Illegal and industrial fishing pressures have led researchers to find protected shark species sold in North African fish markets, with enforcement variable and economic challenges complicating compliance.
- Using eDNA and baited cameras, the team ran three pilot expeditions in the Strait of Sicily from 2021–2023 with 500 litres of tuna oil and more than three tonnes of bait but failed to tag any white sharks after two weeks.
- By monitoring North African fishing ports, researchers found at least 40 great white sharks killed in 2025 and a juvenile caught 20 nautical miles from their work, with unclear bycatch status.
- Now the research team is planning and fundraising for multiple future expeditions and a formal Mediterranean monitoring program, with Dr Francesco Ferretti saying, `We decided to take on the challenge of locating the last remaining white sharks in the Mediterranean and saving them`.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Mediterranean Great White Sharks At Risk Of Extinction, Scientists Say
Great white sharks—icons of the ocean, apex predators, living legends—are quietly vanishing from the Mediterranean. And the reason isn’t mysterious. It’s nets, markets, and a system that’s failing to protect what little remains.According to US scientists working with the UK’s Blue Marine Foundation, illegal fishing is pushing these sharks toward the edge. Despite being protected under international law, great whites are still being caught and so…
The actually protected white sharks in the Mediterranean could soon be eradicated, researchers warn. Evidence that the animals land on North African fish markets, they found on social media.
As a result of accidental or illegal fishing, the squales are slowly disappearing from the Mediterranean Sea, alerting the BBC, which on Tuesday 30 December relays the lessons of new research. Many are on sale in markets in Algeria or Tunisia.
Excessive and illegal fishing threatens sharks, including great white sharks.
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