English sole have been referred to as the "lab rats" of Puget Sound. Scientists are finding evidence of feminization in male fish near urban centers in Puget Sound.
credit:
NOAA/Lyndal Johnson
At NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle Denis da Silva analyzes bile taken from English sole to detect endocrine disrupting chemicals like Bisphenol A and synthetic estrogens from birth control pills.
credit:
Ashley Ahearn
Scientists have found Bisphenol A in feminized fish sampled in urban parts of Puget Sound.
credit:
NOAA/Lyndal Johnson
Jim West of the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife stands on the waterfront at Myrtle Edwards State Park in Seattle's Elliott Bay. Almost half of the English sole sampled near here showed signs of feminization.