Extensive archival investigations have led to the discovery of unpublished records of three specimens of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), captured in the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean Sea, GSA07). The materials examined consisted of archival photographs and a newspaper report (specimens Nos. 1 and 3), as well as a complete set of upper and lower jaws (specimen No. 2). These unpublished records pertain to specimens caught in an artisanal trammel-net fishery by fishermen from Brusc Port, Toulon (France), on 31 July 1926, in 1930, and in 1954, respectively. The total lengths (TL) of these adult specimens were estimated to be between 400 and 480 cm.

Extensive archival investigations resulted with the discovery of three unpublished specimens of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), caught in the waters of the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean Sea, GSA07). Examined materials consisted of archival photographs and a newspaper report (specimen Nos. 1 and 3), and a complete set of upper and lower jaws (specimen No. 2). The unpublished specimens were caught in artisanal trammel-net fishery by the fishermen of Brusc Port, Toulon (France). Sizes of the three specimens were estimated to be between ca. 400 to 480 cm.

We are developing techniques and methods to obtain good catch and release results & to avoid by-catches and radically reduce them in line with Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) - European Commission legislation. Developing methods based on the experience of fishers from our fishing partner of the OP du Levant, CRPMEM PACA, France/Corsica : https://www.monpecheurdulevant.fr/la-marque.html

The blue shark (Prionace glauca) and the swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are two large apex predators in the Mediterranean Sea. The overlap of their ecological niche can lead to competition between the two species for the same food resources. Furthermore, their similar reproductive periods in the Mediterranean may intensify this competition. However, interactions between these animals can result in aggressive behaviors of the swordfish towards the blue shark. This study highlights a case of fatal interaction between one or more swordfish and a female blue shark found stranded on July 30, 2022, in Hyères (Var, France), exhibiting two external head injuries, one of which contained the distal fragment of a swordfish rostrum. The shark was observed alive for a period of three days before its death and displayed abnormal and repetitive swimming behavior. The hypothesis is that the impact of the rostrum on the shark’s body may have induced internal injuries leading to potential hemorrhage having certainly been aggravated by repeated self-mutilations of the shark onshore. This study suggests that the swordfish may have potentially developed an adaptive defense or attack strategy during its coevolution with organisms perceived as competitors or threats, such as the blue shark in our case. Similar cases to this study warrant further investigation to confirm the existence of this adaptive swordfish strategy against sharks.

A global survey compiling historical and current data on the species Carcharodon carcharias