Great white sharks, formidable apex predators vital to marine health, are facing an unprecedented threat of extinction within the Mediterranean Sea, according to recent assessments by researchers. This dire prognosis stems largely from relentless human activity, specifically unchecked overfishing and pervasive illegal fishing operations that decimate marine populations and inadvertently ensnare these magnificent creatures.
The Mediterranean ecosystem, already under significant environmental stress, is now grappling with the potential loss of one of its most iconic and ecologically crucial inhabitants. Their disappearance could trigger profound and irreversible imbalances throughout the region’s delicate food web. But it is not just great white sharks.
Almost all species of elasmobranchs (mainly sharks and rays) present in the Balearics are threatened, with a decline of more than 90% in the western Mediterranean compared to the beginning of the 20th century. Of the 56 species of selachians (sharks) recorded in the islands, 34 are threatened (60 %) and of these, 17 are critically endangered or already extinct in the Balearic Sea.
The reason for this decline is to be found, above all, “in fishing pressure that has had a serious impact on large marine predators. Added to this is the traditional bad reputation of sharks and the little fishing and scientific interest they aroused a few decades ago, until their key role in the food chain and in the balance of marine ecosystems was discovered.
In August last year, beachgoers at Can Pere Antoni beach in Palma were left stunned when a massive shark washed up on the beach — already dead. The shock find has reignited debate about sharks in Balearic waters. Just weeks earlier, experts unveiled plans to step up protection for sharks and rays around the islands, warning that many species are in decline. The proposals call for tighter controls on fishing and measures to protect fragile marine habitats. Officials say the goal is to keep the ecosystem in balance — and make sure future encounters with sharks don’t just happen when they wash up dead.