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These formidable predators in the Mediterranean waters are on the verge of vanishing, with poaching being a key factor to their alarming decline.

This finding is based on studies conducted by experts, who collaborated with an ocean protection organization. They note that some of the most threatened species – including great white sharks – are found on sale in fish markets across North Africa.

Great whites are one of in excess of 20 Mediterranean shark species safeguarded by global treaties, which renders it unlawful to target them or to sell them.

However, by observing harbors along the coastline of North Africa, scientists uncovered that at least 40 great white sharks have been slaughtered in that region in just the past year.

Footage from social media showing endangered sharks being landed at North African ports has been independently verified.

A particular clip showed a big shark being pulled from a boat from a trawler in Algeria. Additional footage, taken in a Tunisian location, shows parts of what looks like a mako shark, which is also a threatened and protected species.

Remaining Habitat

The project head, clarified that many shark species – white sharks in particular – had declined dramatically in the Mediterranean in the past years.

"No other body of water is exploited as heavily as the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The consequences of commercial fishing has been intensifying... and it's plausible that they will vanish in the near future."

The Mediterranean white shark population is now classified as Critically Endangered by the global conservation union.

In their new mission to find and study the predators, the team worked in the waters between Sicily and North Africa – an area known as a "key remaining habitat" in the Mediterranean for several endangered shark species.

An important goal of their mission was to fit a satellite tracking tag onto a great white – something that has never been done in the Mediterranean Sea.

To try this, the researchers used more than three tonnes of fish bait – including baitfish and hundreds of liters of scent oil to create a "scent trail" that many sharks can sense from far off.

Despite working for two weeks – laying bait, sampling for DNA to search for shark DNA and using remote cameras – the researchers were unable to locate any specimens.

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

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

While the team was searching for living sharks, they also received reports that a young great white shark had been caught and killed in a North African fishery – just not far from where they were working.

It is not clear whether that specimen was accidentally caught in nets or lines, or if it was targeted.

The team, however, calculates that in excess of 40 great white sharks have been harvested in that area. "This is a lot for a critically endangered population," the researcher emphasized.

Illegal Shark Trade

The team, along with colleagues in North Africa, are keeping watch on multiple ports in the region. Documentation shows that sharks under protection are caught, landed and offered for sale in countries including the region.

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

An multinational pact states that those species cannot be "kept on boats, transferred, landed, stored, or sold".

The agreement mandates "they must be released alive [where] possible". Those rules are not designed for accidental bycatch and compliance varies from nation to nation.

A conservationist noted that his own research found several great whites 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 protect this, there is a hope for revival."

What Can Be Done?

In economically challenged regions in North Africa, fishermen who catch sharks might face the decision of whether to provide for their families, or release a protected animal to the ocean.

"Why would they release sharks into the sea when they must feed their households?" asked a local expert. "If you provide alternatives and education in more selective fishing, they will not catch these sharks."

A conservationist added that if countries around the Mediterranean worked together, "there is hope."

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