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Great white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are in danger of disappearing, with poaching being a significant driver to their alarming decline.

This assessment is based on investigations carried out by researchers, who partnered with an marine preservation group. They report that various at-risk marine animals – such as the great white – are being sold in ports across the North African coast.

These sharks are one of in excess of 20 Mediterranean shark species safeguarded by global treaties, which prohibits to catch them or to trade them.

However, by monitoring fishing ports along the coastline of North Africa, investigators discovered that no fewer than 40 great white sharks have been caught and killed there in just the past year.

Footage from social media showing sharks under protection being unloaded in North African ports has been confirmed.

A particular clip showed a large great white being dragged onto land from a vessel in Algeria. Another, recorded in Tunisia, shows remains and fins of what is believed to be a protected mako, which is also a threatened and protected species.

Final Refuge

The principal scientist, explained that many shark populations – particularly great whites – had plummeted in the Mediterranean in the past years.

"No other body of water is fished like the Mediterranean Sea," he said. "The impact of industrial fishing has been increasing... and it's possible that they will go extinct in the coming years."

The population of great whites in the Mediterranean is now designated as Critically Endangered by the global conservation union.

In their new mission to track and analyze the predators, 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 fit a satellite tracking tag onto a shark – something that has remained unachieved in the Mediterranean Sea.

To do this, the researchers used over three tons of fish bait – including frozen fish parts and a substantial volume of fish oil to create a "scent trail" that many sharks can detect from a great distance.

Even after a fortnight of effort – laying bait, taking samples of seawater to look for genetic material and using remote cameras – the researchers failed to encounter any sharks to tag.

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

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

While the team was searching for surviving sharks, they also received reports that a juvenile great white had been captured and killed in a fishery off North Africa – just not far from where they were working.

It is unknown whether that shark was accidentally caught in gear, or if it was deliberately caught.

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

Protected Sharks Traded

The scientists, along with local partners, are monitoring several fishing ports in the region. Findings shows that endangered sharks are taken and traded in countries including Tunisia and Algeria.

The rules that protect sharks are complicated. Currently, numerous species have treaty-based safeguards – like makos 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 released unharmed and alive [where] possible". Those rules do not tackle unintentional catch and enforcement is variable from country to country.

A expert noted that his own investigation found multiple white 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 animals still there," he said. "And if we can preserve this, there is a possibility of comeback."

What Can Be Done?

In economically challenged regions in North Africa, fishers who catch sharks might face the dilemma of whether to feed their family, or release a protected animal to the ocean.

"Why would they discard their catch 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 these sharks."

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

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