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A great white shark was seen off the islands of Porquerolles and Port-Cros in the Var, as reported by our local editorial staff Act Varthis Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

A rare sighting of this species which is not endemic to our coasts. Although the waters are warming with climate change, we should not expect an increase in these appearances, as explained in actu.fr Johann Mourier, teacher-researcher at the University of Montpellier and specialist in the behavioral ecology of sharks.

Few appearances of great white sharks on the French coasts

« The population of great white sharks [vers nos côtes, NDLR] is very weak. The observations are anecdotal,” explains Johann Mourier. “There is an appearance every two or three years. » The last dates from 2022, where a female was observed near the Camargue.

This species of shark lives mainly in Australia, on the Californian coast and in the eastern Atlantic. “There is a population in the Mediterranean, but it is in critical danger of extinction,” laments the researcher, citing the catches and the decline in tuna resources.

But the revival of tuna populations, heavily impacted by overfishing, “bodes well” for the great white shark population. We can cite the Atlantic tuna, a misleading name since it lives in the Mediterranean, which has gone from “endangered species” to “least concern”.

It is good to remember that these large sharks often remain “offshore” and that they “are not dangerous for swimming”as the researcher points out. Humans are more of a predator to this animal than they are to us.

More than 50 species of sharks in mainland France

But it is not the only shark to populate our seas and oceans. “There exists more than 500 species of shark distributed around the world”, submits the researcher to the Marbec marine biology laboratory.

There are migratory species, others not, which live both on the surface and at depth. Sharks have colonized the seas and oceans due to the diversity of species.

Although there are many types of sharks across the globe, “A third of shark and ray species are in danger of extinction”alarms the researcher. “The biggest threat is being an accidental catch, that is to say that they are fished without being the primary target,” explains the specialist in marine biology.

Especially since sharks cannot reproduce until they are around ten years old, which explains the low number of specimens. But they can live up to 100 years, even 200 years for certain species.

Certainly the great white shark is not common on our coasts, but this is the case for other species. In mainland France, there arearound fifty common speciesestimates the researcher.

We can mention the porbeagle shark, which is regularly filmed or photographed off the coast of Brittany, like last May. Or the blue-skinned shark, which comes closer in summer and was notably seen in 2022 near Toulon. Or the basking shark, “the second largest fish in the world”, but harmless because it loves plankton.

Little perspective on the impact of climate change

As for the impact of climate change on these species, “there is little perspective, because the research is recent,” notes Johann Mourier.

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Sharks are cold-blooded animals adapted to a certain temperature. It is possible that some species will move due to climate change, but it will happen slowly.

Tropical species “seem to arrive in the Mediterranean by going up via the Suez Canal,” notes Johann Mourier. “They follow the currents and sometimes get lost. »

This is the case of the black tip shark or the tiger shark, a specimen of which was seen off the coast of Charente. But no notable phenomenon at the moment.

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