At a fish market in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, stallholders shout to attract customers to trays piled high with popular frozen seafood such as octopus, squid and shrimp.
But that's not all that's on display. Some trays contain sharks with their bellies still swollen with eggs. Among them are dozens of longnose spurdogs, known locally as "kalb al-bahr," which have clearly been caught mid-breeding season. One fisherman, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said there is no monitoring at sea or at the point-of-sale in Libya.
And because "kalb al-bahr" can be sold relatively cheaply, making it popular with local consumers, fishers trying to survive the country's worst economic crisis in modern history ignore the restrictions on fishing during breeding seasons.
"We catch them even though we know they are carrying eggs," he said. "We sell them in the market because they bring money."
The species has a slow reproductive cycle, with females only producing one to six pups per pregnancy, so it's highly vulnerable to sustained fishing pressure.
Longnose spurdogs are not the only species at risk. A 2021 studyfound that oceanic shark and ray populations have declined by 71% since 1970. IUCN dataindicates that around 38% of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction.
Libyan waters are considered among the most important shark habitats in the region. When marine biologist Sara Al Mabruk found social media images of fishermen hauling the animals, including endangered species, from Libyan waters, she decided to take action.
Using social media herself, she reached out to fishermen and asked them to share photos and information about the species when they encountered them in their nets.
"We have achieved a lot through social media alone," she told DW.
Gradually, her posts evolved into an awareness campaign, and her name became associated with shark conservation. She also uses local radio stations and meets fishers directly to explain the status of sharks in Libyan waters and why they require urgent protection.
"The moment I realized my efforts were making an impact was when a fisherman contacted me to say he had found a small pregnant shark and returned it to the sea," she said, adding that she is confident that she can protect "endangered sharks in our waters."
But Al Mabruk is less optimistic about the future of the longnose spurdogs, which is classified on the Red List of endangered species as 'data deficient', meaning there is not enough information to assess its risk.
"If the situation continues unchanged, further declines in its numbers are likely over the next decade," she said.
She is concerned about the classification of the "kalb al-bahr," and says other species initially listed in that category became designated as "threatened" once more accurate data became available. It is "a scenario we do not want to discover too late," she said. Not least because sharks play a critical role in the regulation of marine ecosystems.
Because sharks regulate mid-level predators, their decline can trigger imbalances in the food web. This can ultimately affect commercially important fish such as sardines and mullet, on which many coastal communities depend.
The Marine Biology in Libya Society, a nongovernmental organization, has documented 30 shark species in Libyan waters, noting that several are regularly caught and displayed for sale in markets.
Although Libya has a fisheries law dating back to 1989 that grants authorities the power to regulate seasons and fishing gear, it is not strictly enforced — and it is nearly impossible to implement offshore without compliance from the fishing fleet. It also does not include a list of prohibited species.
Bloody waters — the predatory trade in sharks
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Regional coordination in terms of monitoring shared waters, data exchange and enforcing conservation measures is also limited.
Though modern fishing techniques don't always distinguish between species, making it easy to accidentally catch sharks that might be returned to the sea or taken ashore for sale, Abdullah Al-Fitouri said there are signs of growing awareness.
"We must protect the sea," said the small-scale fisherman in the eastern city of Tobruk near the Egyptian border. "If sharks are in danger, our livelihoods are in danger too."
He believes groups such as the Life Organization for Marine Conservation, which he co-founded with other fishermen in 2021, can help to preserve endangered species.
"Fishermen today understand the importance of marine biodiversity," he said, adding that they are constantly learning new things about the issue, even as Libya's recent history has been marked by turmoil.
Over the past 15 years, the country has experienced revolution and rapid transformations, while its economy has remained burdened by successive crises.
Amid economic and political instability, protecting Libya's marine heritage may seem like an issue with limited immediate consequences.
Yet intervening to safeguard the ecosystem at this stage could lay the foundations for its sustainability for many years to come.
This story was produced with support from Internews' Earth Journalism Network.
Correction, April 4, 2026: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of Sara Al Mabruk. DW apologizes for the error.
