"A recent study caught our eye: salmon on cocaine. Or really, researchers giving salmon cocaine…for science.

See, scientists know human drugs pollute aquatic environments – past studies have shown even anti-anxiety drugs can change how fish act.

But illicit drugs are less studied. And Jack Brand, an aquatic ecologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, wanted to know how illicit drugs like cocaine might change fish behavior, like foraging and mating.

To answer that question, Jack and his team gave salmon cocaine."

Regina G. Barber, Rachel Carlson, and Rebecca Ramirez report for NPR May 12, 2026. [2]