Online Resource 2: Supplementary tables

Article title: Distribution, ecology, and status of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in the Mediterranean Sea

Journal : Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries

Authors: Ginevra Boldrocchi, Nova Southeastern University, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Dania Beach, USA

Jeremy Kiszka, Florida International University, North Miami, USA

Sam Purkis, Nova Southeastern University, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Dania Beach, USA

Tiziano Storai, Centro di Educazione Ambientale e alla Sostenibilità (CEAS) “Laguna di Nora”, Pula (CA), Italy

Luca Zinzula, Centro di Educazione Ambientale e alla Sostenibilità (CEAS) “Laguna di Nora”, Pula (CA), Italy

Derek Burkholder, Nova Southeastern University, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Guy Harvey Research Institute, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33004, USA; Phone +1 (954) 262-3673; E-mail:

Table 1 Spatial distribution of white shark records in the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle Ages (476-1453) to 2015

Country / Number of records / Frequency %
Italy / 281 / 44.7
Croatia / 83 / 13.2
Spain / 63 / 10
France / 59 / 9.4
Turkey / 39 / 6.2
Tunisia / 38 / 6.1
Greece / 17 / 2.7
Malta / 14 / 2.2
Adriatic (unknown area) / 9 / 1.4
Algeria / 5 / 0.8
Mediterranean (unknown area) / 5 / 0.8
Montenegro / 4 / 0.6
Morocco / 3 / 0.5
Slovenia / 3 / 0.5
Libya / 2 / 0.3
Cyprus (Levant sub-basin) / 1 / 0.2
Egypt (Levant sub-basin) / 1 / 0.2
Israel (Levant sub-basin) / 1 / 0.2

Table 2 Spatial distribution of records with geographical references (n = 618)

Mediterranean basin / Mediterranean sub-area / Number of records / Frequency %
Western / 331 / 53.6
Sardinia / 215 / 34.8
Balearic / 71 / 11.5
Gulf of Lions / 45 / 7.3
Central / 236 / 38.2
Adriatic Sea / 136 / 22.5
Ionian Sea / 97 / 15.7
Eastern / 25 / 4.0
Aegean Sea / 21 / 3.4
Levant Sea / 4 / 0.6
Marmara Sea / 26 / 4.2

Table 3 Gender and life history stage distribution of white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea between the Middle Ages (476-1453) and 2015

Sex / YOY / Juvenile / Subadult / Adult / Unknown age
class / Total
M / 7 / 6 / 0 / 30 / 2 / 45
F / 5 / 11 / 12 / 59 / 4 / 91
Unknown / 17 / 37 / 74 / 147 / 217 / 492
Total / 29 / 54 / 86 / 235 / 223 / 628

Table 4 Number of white shark captures per gear type in the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle Ages (476-1453) to 2015

Adult / Subadult / Juvenile / YOY / Unknown / Total
Entangling net / 9 / 1 / 2 / 5 / 5 / 22
Unspecified gear / 47 / 21 / 14 / 9 / 62 / 153
Unspecified net / 7 / 2 / 7 / 5 / 3 / 24
Tuna trap / 58 / 13 / 6 / 1 / 24 / 102
Trawl / 2 / 0 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 6
Longline / 2 / 2 / 1 / 2 / 4 / 11
Hook and line / 6 / 2 / 2 / 1 / 4 / 15
Harpoon / 4 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 2 / 9
Purse seine / 6 / 1 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 8
Prawn pot / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Table 5 Unpublished contemporary records of white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea from 1993 to 2015

No / Date / Location / TL (cm) / Remarks / Source
1 / June 1993 / Capo Altano / 294-304 / Caught in tuna trap / L. Biaggi, per com
2 / 28/04/2005 / La Maddalena / 350 / Sighting / A. Fozzi, per com
3 / 01/10/2009 / Stintino / 400 / Sighting / Tomassetti 2009
4 / 30/04/2009 / La Maddalena / Teeth / Anonymous 2009
5 / 25/10/2011 / Nora / 350 / Bite mark on a stranded Stenella coeruleoalba / Dr. L. Zinzula, per com
6 / 03/08/2012 / Gulf of Saint-Tropez, France / Sighting / Anonymous 2012a
7 / 03/12/2012 / Sousse, Tunisia / Caught in tuna trap / Anonymous 2012b
8 / 2013 Sept / Cabo Quilatès beach, Morocco / Anonymous 2013
9 / 11/06/2015 / Realmonte, Italy / Sighting / Schembri 2015
10 / 28/10/2015 / Sousse, Tunisia / Captured / Thomas 2015

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