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Great white sharks in the Mediterranean waters are on the verge of vanishing, with illegal fishing being a major contributor to their alarming decline.

This assessment is based on studies conducted by experts, who partnered with an international conservation charity. They report that some of the most threatened species – such as the great white – are found on sale in marketplaces across North Africa.

Great white sharks are one of more than 20 Mediterranean shark species shielded by international agreements, which prohibits to catch them or to sell them.

However, by surveying docks along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, scientists uncovered that a minimum of forty great white sharks have been killed there in just the past year.

Videos shared online showing endangered sharks being landed at North African ports has been confirmed.

One piece of footage showed a big shark being dragged onto land from a vessel in Algeria. Additional footage, filmed in Tunisia, shows heads and fins of what is believed to be a short-finned mako shark, which is also a protected and endangered species.

Remaining Habitat

The principal scientist, stated that many shark species – particularly great whites – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in the past years.

"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 become extinct in the near future."

The Mediterranean great whites is now designated as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

In their latest attempt to find and study the sharks, the team worked in the Sicilian Strait – an area considered a "last stronghold" in the Mediterranean for several sharks at risk.

A primary objective of their project was to attach a satellite tag onto a great white – something that has remained unachieved in the Mediterranean Sea.

To try this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of bait – including baitfish and 500 litres of fish oil to create a "scent trail" that many sharks can smell from hundreds of metres away.

Even after a fortnight of effort – laying bait, taking samples of seawater to test for environmental DNA and using underwater cameras – the researchers were unable to locate any sharks to tag.

They captured only a short sighting of one blue shark species on their submarine cameras.

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

While the team was searching for living sharks, they also were informed that a young great white shark had been taken in a regional fishery – just not far from where they were working.

It is unknown whether that animal was accidentally caught in fishing gear, or if it was targeted.

The team, however, calculates that more than 40 great white sharks have been taken along that coastline. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.

Sharks for Sale

The team, along with colleagues in North Africa, are observing various harbors in the region. Documentation shows that endangered sharks are taken and traded in countries including the region.

The protective legislation are complex. Currently, 24 threatened species have international legal protection – including mako, angel, threshers and hammerheads.

An multinational pact states that those species cannot be "retained on board, transhipped, landed, transferred, stored, sold or displayed or offered for sale".

The agreement states "they must be returned to the sea alive [where] possible". Those rules do not tackle accidental bycatch and implementation differs from one place to another.

A marine advocate noted that his own research found a number of sharks on sale. But, he said, there was a seeming silver lining in the fact that white sharks were appearing in trade.

"It shows that there is life remaining," 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, fishers who catch sharks might face the choice of whether to earn a livelihood, or throw back an endangered shark to the ocean.

"Why would they release sharks into the sea when they need food for their children?" asked a local expert. "If you provide alternatives and education in more responsible fishing, they will not catch protected species."

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

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