Great white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are in danger of disappearing, with illegal fishing contributing to their decline.

This is according to research by US scientists, working in partnership with UK charity Blue Marine Foundation. They say some of the most threatened species - including great white sharks - are being sold in North African fish markets.

Great whites are one of more than 20 Mediterranean shark species protected under international law, meaning it is illegal to fish for them or to sell them.

By monitoring fishing ports on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, however, researchers discovered that at least 40 great white sharks have been killed there in 2025 alone.

The BBC has also found, and independently verified, footage from social media of protected sharks being brought dead into North African ports.

One video showed a large great white being hauled ashore from a fishing boat in Algeria. Another, filmed in Tunisia, shows heads and fins of what appears to be a short-finned mako shark, which is also a threatened and protected species, being prepared for sale.

Last shark stronghold

Lead researcher, Dr Francesco Ferretti from the US university Virginia Tech, explained that many shark populations - white sharks in particular - had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in recent decades.

Dr Ferretti and his team worked in the Strait of Sicily - an area identified as a last stronghold in the Mediterranean for several threatened shark species.

Despite working for two weeks - baiting the ocean and using underwater cameras - the researchers did not manage to find any sharks to tag, capturing only a brief glimpse of one blue shark on their submarine cameras.

Sharks for sale

James Glancy from Blue Marine told BBC News that his own investigation found multiple white sharks on sale in Tunisian fishing markets, stating that it indicated wildlife was still present.

What can be done?

For many fishers in North Africa, the choice between feeding their family and returning a threatened species to the ocean complicates conservation efforts. Education and support for sustainable fishing practices may offer a solution to preserving shark populations.