More Than A Dozen Sharks Test Positive For Cocaine

A recent study revealed that 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks off the coast of Brazil tested positive for cocaine, marking the first instance of the drug being detected in free-range sharks.

Researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation found cocaine in the sharks’ muscle tissue and liver, with concentrations up to 100 times higher than previously observed in other aquatic species.

The study attributed the contamination primarily to rising cocaine consumption in South America, particularly in Brazil, rather than direct dumping by traffickers.

Researchers indicated that poor sewage infrastructure likely contributed to the pollution.

“We don’t usually see many bales of coke dumped or lost at sea here, unlike what is reported in Mexico and Florida,” study co-author Enrico Mendes Saggioro said.

“It is probable, although not yet proven that exposure would have deleterious physiological effects on the sharks,” Mendes Saggioro and study co-author Rachel Ann Hauser Davis jointly stated.

While the health effects of cocaine on the sharks remain uncertain, prior research has shown harmful impacts on other marine life, raising concerns about potential physiological damage.