Recent observations of two young-of-the-year great white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias (Elasmobranchii, Lamniformes, Lamnidae), in the Eastern Adriatic Sea

The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), is a well-known predatory species that inhabits a wide geographic range, including the Adriatic Sea. A marked decline in the abundance of its Mediterranean population has been documented over recent decades, making research on this species in its natural environment increasingly difficult. This study documents two contemporary records of young-of-the-year individuals recorded in 2018 and 2025 off the coasts of Croatia and Montenegro, respectively. Both records were sourced from local fisheries and were subsequently reported to scientists through citizen science. The individual reported from Montenegro was photographed and released unharmed while still in the water. This study further highlights the importance of citizen science in documenting occurrences of elusive elasmobranchs such as the great white shark and in educating fishers through a bottom-up approach. Together with the recently recorded young-of-the-year specimen in this area, these observations suggest that the Eastern Adriatic Sea may represent a contemporary nursery area for the great white shark, although this hypothesis remains to be verified.