Panic as great white shark ‘breeding again’ in sea teeming with British tourists | World | News
Scientists think great white sharks may be reproducing in the Mediterranean, an announcement that will frighten British tourists who flock to the Mediterranean every summer. The statement came after a young shark, approximately 210 cm long and weighing 80-90 kg, was accidentally caught off the east coast of Spain on April 20, 2023.
The rare find prompted researchers to examine historical records from 1862 to 2023, the results of which were recently published in the open-access journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. The species, once made infamous by Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, was thought to be extinct in the Mediterranean, except for occasional visitors from other seas.
Despite their fearsome reputation, Great Whites are often unfairly maligned and suffer from a “bad guy” narrative that does not align with reality. Although headlines often lean towards sensationalism, the statistical probability of a shark encounter is extraordinarily low.
In fact, you’re much more likely to be struck by lightning or injured by a household appliance than to be bitten by a shark. Worldwide, unprovoked attacks have reached historical lows (only 47 attacks were recorded globally in 2024), with less than 40 recorded attacks in the last 150 years, especially in the Mediterranean.
These apex predators do not prey on humans; rather, most of the incidents are cases of mistaken identity in murky waters. Far from being monsters, they are shy, elusive and increasingly threatened inhabitants of our oceans.
The head of the research, Dr. Jose Carlos Báez said: “It is particularly important to detect juvenile sharks. The presence of young individuals raises the question of whether active reproduction is taking place here.”
The review suggests that the great white in the Mediterranean has not completely disappeared, although it remains a “ghost” population. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and its numbers continue to decline.
But researchers caution that sightings are extremely rare, underlining the shark’s scarcity in the region.
Scientists emphasize that long-term monitoring is vital to understanding great whites in the Mediterranean. Combining occasional sightings with modern monitoring could support effective conservation strategies, they say.
Dr Báez concludes: “These large predators play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. They are highly migratory, redistribute energy and nutrients, scavenge carcasses to keep the seas clean, and provide nutrients to deep-sea communities even in death.”
