Lurk Submarine: Cocaine & Ketamine Found in Shrimp in Suffolk
Just when you thought fishing in rural England couldn’t get any stranger, researchers at King’s College London teamed up with the University of Suffolk to unveil a shocking “catch” from 15 spots around the farming county of Suffolk.
What’s Cooking in the Water?
Micro‑pollutants in shrimp are not a new tale. The team scoured the freshwater shrimp for a smorgasbord of suspicious chemicals and found that almost every sample tested buzzed with:
- Cocaine – every single one of the shrimp.
- Ketamine – another wild hit.
- Pesticides – the usual suspects from farming.
- Pharmaceuticals – the leftovers from human trips.
Even though the concentrations were described as “low,” the lurker scientists warn that the presence could still pose a risk to wildlife and ripple through the ecosystem.
Why Is This A Surprising Catch?
“I can’t imagine seeing such a mix in a place far from the hustle of London,” commented Leon Barron, co‑author of the study. “These are typically the kind of chemicals you’d expect to find smack in the heart of an urban area, not tucked away in a rural catchment.”
What’s Next?
Nic Bury from the University of Suffolk acknowledges that “whether the presence of cocaine in aquatic animals is an issue for Suffolk, or more widespread in the UK and abroad, awaits further research.” The findings, published in Environment International, are the first step toward a deeper dive into the unexpected infiltration of illicit drugs into the wild.
