For a few days now, a video of two fishermen who, off the coast of Puglia, encounter a shark while on their boat has been going crazy on social media. Whenever videos of this kind go viral, the same question always pops up in people’s minds: «but are there really sharks in Italy?». The answer is: yes, and of different races too. By consulting a report from WWFeasily available on the internet, opens up an underwater world that not everyone is aware of: they are present over 45 species in the Mediterraneanlargely threatened by overfishing. When we talk about sharks in our mind we immediately go to the images of the film “Jaws” which have upset the narrative and the way of perceiving an animal as fascinating as it is important for the ecosystem, condemning it to a reputation it does not deserve.
In fact, if we go to check the data regarding bites and attacks in 2025, all over the world, we will discover that they are only 65 attacks not caused by man. As can be consulted in the 2025 ISAF report, “unprovoked by humans” refers to “episodes in which a bite to a living human being occurs in the shark’s natural habitat, without any provocation by humans”, of which 9 were fatal. In the same period of time, dogs, on average, cause around 30 thousand victims (mostly in Asia and Africa, due to diseases such as rabies). As reported in a post from the Genoa aquarium, it is more likely to be struck by lightning than to be killed by a shark. In fact, according to ISAF, the odds of dying from a shark attack are 1 in 3,748,067.
Probably the phobia of going for a snorkeling session and finding ourselves faced with a Great White Shark it will never abandon us completely, but it is important to know that encounters are extremely rare, especially in our waters, where this predator is present anyway. Returning to the video of the fishing boat, the shark filmed is a Mako, a particularly fast type (reaches 70km/h in water).
Rather than worrying about whether we might cross paths with one, we should rejoice to see a Mako off the coast of Gallipoli, it is a sign that the ecosystem is holding up. We should worry a lot more when we stop seeing them. Yes, because every shark has a well-defined function, like every animal, and is fundamental in the proliferation of underwater life. And above all they are not predators to fear as pop culture has taught us. Then obviously the rule is always the same: they are predators at the top of the food chain, wild animals that can become dangerous if disturbed in their habitat.
