Mediterranean sharks in decline

Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), which in some parts of the world has declined by 99% over the past 30 years Photograph: Fred Bavendam/Minden Pictures/Getty

A smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) caught in a fishing net. The IUCN classes the smooth hammerhead as "globally vulnerable to extinction" Photograph: Jeffrey L Rotman/Corbis

Big-eye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus), which can grow up to 5m long. Its large eyes allow it to see at depths of up to 500m Photograph: Jeffrey L Rotman/Corbis

Records from long-line fisheries suggest a 99.99% fall in mackerel sharks. The typical size of sharks caught in the Mediterranean is among the lowest in the world, indicating that more young sharks are being caught Photograph: Marty Snyderman/Corbis

Since the mid-1950s blue sharks have declined by 96.5% Photograph: Zena Holloway/Corbis

Conservation groups fear that without strict catch limits on sharks, many of the 47 species in the Mediterranean will soon become locally extinct Photograph: Getty