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This groundbreaking research is the first to detect cocaine in sharks, raising significant concerns among scientists.
Experts suggest that the cocaine might be entering the ocean from illegal drug manufacturing labs or through excrement from drug users. While less likely, discarded or lost packs of cocaine by traffickers could also contribute to the contamination.
Sara Novais, a marine eco-toxicologist at the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre of the Polytechnic University of Leiria, emphasized the gravity of the findings, stating they are "very important and potentially worrying" in an interview with Science magazine. Notably, all the female sharks tested were pregnant, but the potential impact of cocaine exposure on their foetuses remains unknown.
Further studies are needed to determine whether cocaine is altering the sharks' behaviour. Previous research indicates that drugs can affect animals similarly to humans, suggesting possible behavioural changes in these sharks.
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This discovery follows a similar finding from last year, when chemical compounds, including benzoylecgonine—a byproduct of cocaine metabolism—were detected in seawater off the south coast of England. The presence of such substances in marine environments highlights the broader issue of drug pollution and its impact on wildlife.