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.
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 stated that the impact of industrial fishing has intensified, indicating a troubling trend for the future of white sharks. The Mediterranean white shark population is now classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Despite working for two weeks to locate and study surviving sharks, the researchers saw only limited success, which Dr Ferretti found disheartening, reflecting the degradation of the ecosystem.
In poorer communities in North Africa, local fishers face difficult choices between survival and conservation, with many catches being accidental. Experts advocate for sustainable fishing training to prevent further declines in shark populations.
