One of the most surprising findings from our study was that benzoylecgonine had a stronger effect on fish behaviour than cocaine itself. This is important because environmental risk assessments typically focus on the substances humans put into themselves, such as cocaine, rather than the chemicals they put out afterwards, such as benzoylecgonine.

Salmon exposed to cocaine travelled 1.9 times further per week than their clean-living control cousins and swam up 12.3 kilometers farther.

Atlantic salmon are admired by many anglers as the “King of Fish” because of their incredibly strong swimming abilities. They can travel more than 30 miles a day, jump up to 12 feet in the air, and make powerful, speedy bursts against heavy current ...