A new study reports that sharks in the Bahamas have tested positive for cocaine, caffeine and other substances.
According to the findings, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, drugs such as acetaminophen and sertraline, as well as caffeine, cocaine and other chemicals were present in the systems of three types of sharks.
Known as CEC, or emerging pollutants of concern, these substances have been found to be more common in tourist areas.
Of the 85 sharks analyzed in the study, Caribbean reef sharks, Atlantic nurse sharks and lemon sharks were found to have varying levels of the painkillers diclofenac and acetaminophen in their bodies, as well as cocaine and caffeine.
Caribbean reef shark.
Photo by Lawson Wood / SplashdownDirect / Rex Features
Stimulants such as cocaine and caffeine are linked to hyperglycemia, which can interfere with a shark’s ability to control blood sugar and can also interfere with the ability to burn fat.
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The study also found that sharks that had eaten CECs “showed altered levels of triglycerides, urea, and lactate,” which may cause a “physiological response” to species found to contain contaminants.
The study is the first to detect caffeine and acetaminophen in any shark species worldwide.
Five species of sharks are caught for research purposes, including lemon, Atlantic nurse, blacktip, Caribbean reef and tiger sharks.
It’s not the first time cocaine has been found in sharks — more than 10 sharks off the coast of Brazil tested positive for cocaine in 2024 — but it’s “the first report on CECs and potentially related physiological responses in sharks in the Bahamas,” the study said. It also notes that the archipelago is often referred to as “pristine,” meaning it is considered an unspoiled area with a thriving, well-preserved ecosystem.
In 2011, the country established the Bahamas Shark Sanctuary, protecting its entire marine environment by banning commercial shark fishing and the trade in shark products.
Aerial shot of Paradise Island in the Bahamas. A 10-year-old boy has been flown to the US after being bitten by a shark at a resort on Paradise Island.
Laurie Chamberlain/Getty Images
The study attributed the findings in part to tourism, which it says is a “major economic driver” that, when coupled with an increase in the number of vacation homes and rental properties, “significantly increases the volume and chemical pollutants of the area.”
Many sharks live in shallow coastal areas where tourism traffic is high, increasing their risk of exposure, the study added.
This was the first year of shark-related discoveries.
In February, researchers released photos of a sleeping shark, which was photographed in January 2025, crossing the Antarctic Ocean, a finding that contradicted the common belief that sea dwellers do not live in the area.
The shark was large, measuring between three and four meters in length, and was seen swimming at a depth of 490 meters in temperatures of just over 1 degree Celsius.
Information about the sharks’ movements and range in the region is scarce because of their remoteness, experts say. And while climate change may be affecting shark sightings, it’s also possible that the slow-moving sleeper sharks were already in Antarctica and no one noticed.
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