Divers working to dismantle and remove discarded fishing nets in the Mediterranean Sea had an incredible and historic close encounter with a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). It is believed to be the first time a great white shark has been caught on film underwater in the Mediterranean.

While it is well known that there are white sharks in the Mediterranean, the critically endangered population is very “poorly understood,” the Shark Trust told Sky News in the United Kingdom.

“The white shark is a rare but persistent inhabitant of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is currently assessed as critically endangered in the region,” the Shark Trust continued.

A 2020 study of great white sharks in the Mediterranean concluded that very little was known about their distribution, habitats, and population trends in the region. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has a database of white shark specimens in the Mediterranean, with 773 records from 1860 through 2016. These records indicate a dramatic recent reduction in the past few decades.

That said, the Shark Trust tells Sky that there are numerous potential nursery and juvenile-use areas for white sharks in the Mediterranean, including in the Sicilian Channel, Adriatic Sea, and Aegean Sea.

While great white sharks are a frequently studied shark species that capture the attention of many marine biologists, their breeding behaviors remain relatively poorly understood. Great white shark nurseries are elusive, often located in very deep waters, and mother sharks do not actively raise the young. Great white sharks are born and then left to immediately fend for themselves.

It was only in early 2024 that drone photographer Carlos Gauna, also known as The Malibu Artist on YouTube, captured what is believed to be the first-ever footage of a newborn great white shark.

Sharks of all kinds face extreme threats. Illegal fishing and overfishing are obvious challenges, but so too are the use of fishing nets and longlines, trophy fishing, habitat loss, and climate change. Per the Shark Research Institute, approximately 73 to 100 million sharks are killed annually just for their fins. Some shark populations have gone extinct, while others are well on their way to the same disastrous fate.

Fortunately, at least in some regions, increased protections for marine animals and habitats are working, and some shark populations are steadily increasing. It is not that the issue is solved, not by any stretch, but there is strong evidence that sharks can recover when protected by regulatory and cultural changes.

Image credits: Sky News. Derk Remmers / Healthy seas / Ghost Diving

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