A specimen which was accidentally caught by fishermen in April 2023 is around two metres in length and weighs between 80 and 90 kilograms. The animal became entangled in their fishing nets and was already dead when caught. According to the article, genetic analysis confirmed that the species is a great white shark. It is one of the few reliably documented appearances of a great white shark in the Spanish Mediterranean in recent decades.
Since a single provide little information about the overall state of the shark's population, researchers analysed historical records spanning from the mid-19th century to the present day. They confirmed that, over that period, 66 cases of great white sharks appearing off the Spanish coast have been recorded. Attacks on humans, however, are described as “extremely rare”. The researchers found only two incidents: one in 1862, when a swimmer was killed in Málaga, and another in the 1980s, when a shark bit a surfer’s board in Tarifa.
The scientists stress that the available data do not allow to claim of recovery of the great white shark population in the Mediterranean. According to them, the new case may be linked to improvements in monitoring systems rather than to an increase in numbers.
The shark caught by the fishermen was a juvenile. This deserves special attention because it provides additional insight into the demographic structure of the population. Still, it is too early to suggest that breeding areas for great white sharks have re-emerged in Spanish waters.
