--- title: "Florida Sharks Suspected of Eating Discarded Bales of Cocaine" description: "Scientists are investigating if sharks are getting high off of bales of cocaine that are landing in the waters off of the coast of Florida." date: "2023-07-23" modified: "2023-07-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/florida-sharks-suspected-eating-discarded-cocaine" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "cocaine" - "discovery channel" - "sharks" - "the digest" --- # Florida Sharks Suspected of Eating Discarded Bales of Cocaine ![Scientists are investigating if sharks are getting high off of bales of cocaine that are landing in the waters off of the coast of Florida.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Jaws for Effect It wouldn't be Shark Week without some wild tales of sharks interacting with humans, from [feeding frenzies]() to horrific [first-hand accounts of attacks]() (which, for the record, [are rare]().) But this year's Shark Week, which is airing next week on Discovery, takes the cake when it comes to headlines-grabbing reports about the underwater monsters, this time with speculation about "cocaine sharks" devouring huge bales of cocaine that sometimes wash up on Florida beaches. It may not be *quite* as far-fetched as it sounds. In June alone, the Coast Guard fished over 14,100 pounds of the white powder out of the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean, as [*Live Science* reports](). To investigate the possibility that sharks could help themselves, TV personality and marine biologist Tom "The Blowfish" Hird teamed up with University of Florida environmental scientist Tracy Fanara for some fun but somewhat dubious-sounding experiments. Hird and Fanara got to work by dropping simulated packages of "cocaine" — no sharks were harmed in the making of this Discovery special — to see if the sharks would bite. Even when placed next to decoy dummy swans, the sharks swam right to the bales to take a bite. "We have no idea what \[cocaine\] could do to the shark," Hird admitted to *Live Science*. "So we can't even say well this is a baseline and go from here," he said. ## Jumping the Shark After stuffing some more bait balls with concentrated fish powder — the closest and safest alternative to feeding cocaine to sharks they could think of — the duo says the sharks went wild and started acting irrationally. We'll let readers decide whether that stands up to scrutiny. But Hird is urging audiences to consider broader implications of ocean pollution. "The deeper story here is the way that chemicals, pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs are entering our waterways — entering our oceans — and what effect that they then could go on to have on these delicate ocean ecosystems," Hird [told *Live Science*](). One thing's for clear: "[Cocaine Bear]()" is so five months ago. **More on sharks:** *[Netflix Camera Boat Attacked by Swarm of Furious Sharks]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()