{"id":314529,"date":"2026-04-07T00:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=314529"},"modified":"2026-04-07T00:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:03:34","slug":"cocaine-caffeine-present-in-sharks-within-the-bahamas-study-says-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/04\/07\/cocaine-caffeine-present-in-sharks-within-the-bahamas-study-says-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocaine, caffeine present in sharks within the Bahamas, study says &#8211; National"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>A brand new study reports that sharks within the Bahamas have tested positive for consuming cocaine, caffeine and other substances.<\/p>\n<p>Based on the findings, published within the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0269749126001880\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Environmental Pollution<\/a>, pharmaceuticals reminiscent of acetaminophen and sertraline, in addition to caffeine, cocaine and other chemicals were present within the systems of three shark species.<\/p>\n<div class=\"l-article__part\" data-shortcode=\"tp_video_miniplayer\">\n<section id=\"miniplayer_69d3ffdb4959f-carousel\" class=\"l-videoCarousel l-videoCarousel--embed c-carousel\" data-video-carousel-play-inline=\"true\" data-video-carousel-init=\"false\" aria-label=\"Video carousel contains 4 videos.\">\n<div class=\"l-videoCarousel__inner\">\n<div class=\"l-videoCarousel__featured\">\n<div class=\"c-video c-videoPlay \" data-iframe-receiver=\"\" data-autoplay=\"\" data-displayinline-featured=\"true\" data-displayinline-type=\"video\" data-displayinline-player-id=\"miniplayer_69d3ffdb4959f\" data-displayinline-video-id=\"11726830\" data-displayinline-ratio=\"16:9\" data-displayinline=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/video\/embed\/playlist\/11726830,11672718,11621925,11517401\/?poster=https%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fmedia.globalnews.ca%2Fvideostatic%2Fnews%2Fdezk5oy4zi-706hwktgdy%2F6P_GREAT_WHITE_SHARK_DE_OM01RBOV.jpg%3Fw%3D1200%26quality%3D70%26strip%3Dall#autoplay&#038;stickyiframe=miniplayer_69d3ffdb4959f\" data-displayinline-playlist=\"11726830,11672718,11621925,11517401\" data-displayinline-sticky=\"true\" data-permutive-data=\"{\"content\":{\"name\":\"Great white 'pinged' off Vancouver Island\",\"type\":\"video\",\"sections\":[\"videos\",\"bc\",\"environment\"],\"keywords\":[\"bc-news\",\"great-white-shark\",\"marine-conservation-science-institute-president\",\"nature\",\"shark-sighting\",\"short-clip\",\"ubc-marine-mammal-research-unit\",\"global-news-hour-at-6-bc\"],\"iab\":{\"categories\":[\"Science\"],\"tags\":[\"Analgesic\",\"Antarctica\",\"Archipelago\",\"Atlantic Ocean\",\"Australia\",\"Blacktip shark\",\"Blood\",\"Blood sugar level\",\"Brazil\",\"Caffeine\",\"Camera\",\"Caribbean\",\"Caribbean reef shark\",\"Celsius\",\"Chemical substance\",\"Climate\",\"Climate change\",\"Coast\",\"Cocaine\",\"Complexity\",\"Contaminants of emerging concern\",\"Contamination\",\"Coral reef\",\"Data\",\"Deep sea\",\"Diclofenac\",\"Ecosystem\",\"Fat\",\"Fishing\",\"Getty Images\",\"Hotspot (geology)\",\"Hyperglycemia\",\"Image\",\"Lactic acid\",\"Lemon\",\"Lemon shark\",\"Medication\",\"Metabolism\",\"Nova Scotia\",\"Nurse shark\",\"Ocean\",\"Paracetamol\",\"Paradise Island\",\"Physiology\",\"Pollution\",\"Reef\",\"Requiem shark\",\"Resort\",\"Risk\",\"Seabed\",\"Sertraline\",\"Shark\",\"Shark attack\",\"Shark sanctuary\",\"Shutterstock\",\"Somniosidae\",\"Southern Ocean\",\"Species\",\"Stimulant\",\"Sugar\",\"Temperature\",\"The Bahamas\",\"Tiger\",\"Tiger shark\",\"Tourism\",\"Trade\",\"Triglyceride\",\"United States\",\"Urea\",\"Vacation\",\"Vancouver\",\"Vancouver Island\"]}}}\">\n<div class=\"c-video__inner \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__placeholder\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'Great white \u2018pinged\u2019 off Vancouver Island'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.globalnews.ca\/videostatic\/news\/dezk5oy4zi-706hwktgdy\/6P_GREAT_WHITE_SHARK_DE_OM01RBOV.jpg?w=1200&#038;quality=70&#038;strip=all\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, \" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1040px) 1040px,(min-width: 720px) 720px,450px\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__overlay\"><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"c-video__duration\">2:03<\/time><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__title\">Great white \u2018pinged\u2019 off Vancouver Island<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"l-videoCarousel__glide glide \">\n<div class=\"glide__arrows c-carousel__buttons l-videoCarousel__buttons\" data-glide-el=\"controls\">\n\t<button class=\"glide__arrow glide__arrow--left c-carousel__button c-carousel__prev l-videoCarousel__button l-videoCarousel__prev c-longform-gallery__prev\" data-glide-dir=\"<\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Previous Video<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t<button class=\"glide__arrow glide__arrow--right c-carousel__button c-carousel__next l-videoCarousel__button l-videoCarousel__next c-longform-gallery__next\" data-glide-dir=\">&#8220;><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Next Video<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t<button class=\"c-carousel__goto\" data-glide-dir=\"=0\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<!-- video stream item --><\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Often known as CEC, or contaminants of emerging concern, these substances were found to be particularly prevalent in tourist areas.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 85 sharks analyzed within the study, Caribbean reef sharks, Atlantic nurse sharks and lemon sharks were found to have various levels of the painkillers diclofenac and acetaminophen of their bodies, in addition to cocaine and caffeine.<\/p>\n<div class=\"l-article__part\" data-shortcode=\"caption\">\n<figure class=\"c-figure c-figure--alignnone c-figure--expandable\">\n<div class=\"c-figure__inner\"><figcaption class=\"c-figure__caption c-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-caption__desc\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tA Caribbean reef shark.\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"c-caption__cite\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tPhoto by Lawson Wood \/ SplashdownDirect \/ Rex Features\t\t\t\t<\/cite><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Stimulants reminiscent of cocaine and caffeine are linked to hyperglycemia, which may interfere with the sharks\u2019 capability to administer blood sugar and can even disrupt the flexibility to metabolize fats.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup\" data-newsletter-inline=\"\">\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup__image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"170\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/shaw-globalnews\/images\/skyline\/national.jpg\" alt=\"Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup__content\">\n<h2 class=\"c-inlineSignup__title\">Get breaking National news<\/h2>\n<p>Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox because it happens so you will not miss a trending story.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Research also found that sharks that had consumed CECs \u201cshowed altered triglycerides, urea, and lactate levels,\u201d which can cause \u201cphysiological responses\u201d in species that test positive for contaminants.<\/p>\n<p>The study is the primary to detect caffeine and acetaminophen in any shark species worldwide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Five species of sharks were captured for research purposes, including lemon, Atlantic nurse, blacktip, Caribbean reef and tiger sharks.<\/p>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t the primary time cocaine has been detected in sharks \u2014 greater than 10 sharks off the coast of Brazil <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ioc.fiocruz.br\/en\/noticias\/inedito-pesquisa-da-fiocruz-detecta-contaminacao-por-cocaina-em-tubaroes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tested positive for cocaine<\/a> in 2024 \u2014 however it is the \u201cfirst report concerning CECs and potentially associated physiological responses in sharks from The Bahamas,\u201d the study says. It also notes that the archipelago is sometimes called \u201cpristine,\u201d meaning it is taken into account an unspoiled environment with a thriving, well-preserved ecosystem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-tabs\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t<button role=\"tab\" class=\"c-tabs__tab c-tabs__tab--active\" type=\"button\">More on Trending<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t<button role=\"tab\" class=\"c-tabs__tab\" type=\"button\">More videos<\/button>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In 2011, the country established the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharkconservationfund.org\/project\/protecting-the-bahamas-shark-sanctuary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bahamas Shark Sanctuary<\/a>, protecting its entire ocean territory by banning business shark fishing and trade in shark products.<\/p>\n<div class=\"l-article__part\" data-shortcode=\"caption\">\n<figure class=\"c-figure c-figure--alignnone c-figure--expandable\">\n<div class=\"c-figure__inner\"><figcaption class=\"c-figure__caption c-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-caption__desc\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tAerial shot of Paradise Island within the Bahamas. A ten-year-old boy was airlifted to the U.S. after being bitten by a shark at a resort in Paradise Island.\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"c-caption__cite\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tLaurie Chamberlain\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/cite><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The study attributed its findings partly to tourism, which it says is a \u201cmajor economic driver\u201d that, when coupled with a rise within the variety of vacation homes and rental properties, \u201csignificantly heightens the quantity and chemical complexity of local wastewater.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many sharks inhabit shallow coastal areas where tourism traffic is high, which increases their exposure risk, the study added.<\/p>\n<p>This has been a yr of firsts for shark-related discoveries.<\/p>\n<p>In Febraury, researchers released footage of a sleeper shark, captured in January 2025, traversing a barren Antarctic seabed, a finding that contradicted a widely held belief that the deep-sea dwellers don\u2019t live within the region.<\/p>\n<p>The shark was large, estimated at between three and 4 metres long, and was spotted swimming at a depth of 490 metres in temperatures hovering just above 1 degree Celsius.<\/p>\n<p>Data on sharks\u2019 travel patterns and ranges within the region are relatively scarce as a consequence of its remoteness, experts said. And while climate change may very well be a contributing consider the shark\u2019s sighting, it\u2019s also possible that slow-moving sleeper sharks were already in Antarctica and no person ever noticed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t&#038;copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A brand new study reports that sharks within the Bahamas have tested positive for consuming cocaine, caffeine and other substances. Based on the findings, published within the journal Environmental Pollution, pharmaceuticals reminiscent of acetaminophen and sertraline, in addition to caffeine, cocaine and other chemicals were present within the systems of three shark species. 2:03 Great [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":314530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20691],"tags":[25511,47969,12100,1903,12162,1529],"class_list":["post-314529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-bahamas","tag-caffeine","tag-cocaine","tag-national","tag-sharks","tag-study"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314532,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314529\/revisions\/314532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}