Yes, there are great white sharks in the Mediterranean, but the size of the population is unknown, says Peter Evans. The great white Carcharodon carcharias is widely distributed around the world, occurring in tropical to cold temperate seas.
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In the Mediterranean, most sightings have been in the Sicilian channel and the Straits of Messina (where some believe the species may breed), as well as the north-eastern Ligurian Sea and the northern Adriatic. Here, the great white feeds on large bony fish, rays and other shark species, as well as dolphins, seabirds and turtles.
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Though attacks on humans and small vessels have been reported in the region (roughly one a year), encounters with great whites are very rare. One of the most famous occurred in 1989 in the Gulf of Baratti, Italy, when a scuba diver apparently died as a result of a shark attack. Encounters with the species were also documented by Ancient Greek historians.
In the Mediterranean, the species is captured accidentally in fishing gear and occasionally hunted directly off the coast of Italy in the wake of fatal attacks. Though it has been listed as endangered since 1983, the great white is only legally protected by Malta.