Sharks in Brazil are testing positive for cocaine, say scientists

24 July, 2024

Shark fish closeup taken through the glass of aquarium. (Credit: Getty Images)

Scientists have found a number of sharks off the coast of Brazil testing positive for cocaine.

The discovery was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, in which scientists dissected 13 sharpnose sharks and found they all contained evidence of cocaine in their muscles and livers.

Scientists are now concerned that the cocaine could alter the behaviour of the sharks and cause “serious toxicological effects” to the sea life in the Santos Bay area.

The paper further theorises that the cocaine may have entered the sharks via untreated sewage; a more unlikely hypothesis suggests the cocaine may have come from drugs that have been dumped overboard in smuggling operations.

Social media users have taken to X/Twitter to poke fun at the news, with one suggesting it may form part of a crossover series with the film Cocaine Bear: ‘Cocaine Shark (2025), Cocaine Bear x Shark (2026), Bear v Shark: 2 High 2 Furious (2027)’.

Take a look at some more reactions below:

It was previously reported last year that sharks may have been eating drugs in the sea off the coast of Florida.

In a programme entitled Cocaine Sharks, marine scientists examined whether the sharks had indeed been consuming the Class A drug.

“We’ve seen studies with pharmaceuticals, cocaine, methamphetamines, ketamine, all of these, where fish are being [affected] by drugs,” said Dr Tracy Fanara, a Florida-based environmental engineer and lead member of the research team. “If these cocaine bales are a point source of pollution, it’s very plausible [sharks] can be affected by this chemical.

“Cocaine is so soluble that any of those packages open just a little, the structural integrity is destroyed and the drug is in the water.”

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