Surprise from the Deep
A fisherman off the coast of Montenegro made an extremely rare catch in the Adriatic: a young great white shark. The animal became entangled on Monday, around twelve kilometres off the coast and at a depth of 115 metres, in the nets of Gojko Mitrović. Instead of keeping it, the fisherman released the marine predator – a decision that has delighted marine biologists.
The Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor confirmed the incident and posted a photo of the shark on Facebook. Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are native to the Mediterranean, but they are rarely sighted in the Adriatic. The species is classified as endangered.
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More InformationEndangered Population in the Mediterranean
The population of great white sharks in the Mediterranean is isolated and receives no offspring from the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, it is particularly vulnerable, especially given intensive fishing and the loss of habitats. If their environment continues to shrink, the species could disappear from this region, which would impact the entire ecosystem.
For comparison: In 2023, a young great white shark was last caught in Croatia, but it was sold to a seafood restaurant. Great white sharks are the largest predatory fish on Earth and can grow over six metres long. They are found in many of the world’s oceans, most commonly off South Africa, Australia, in the western North Atlantic, and the eastern North Pacific.
Rare Danger to Humans
Attacks on humans are extremely rare in the Mediterranean. However, this year there was a tragic incident off the coast of Israel: a man is believed to have been attacked by a shark. Videos from Hadera, around 50 kilometres north of Tel Aviv, show a shark in close proximity to a thrashing person. Shortly afterwards, human remains were found in the sea.
