Confused Fish?

Although my focus is Islamism, I have other interests too.

The following excerpt comes from August 7, 2005 edition of the Washington Post:

"Male fish from the upper reaches of the Potomac River are producing a blood protein normally found only in females, scientists say, seeming to confirm fears that an unknown pollutant is confusing the fish's natural hormone systems.

"This discovery, made by scientists at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, comes on the heels of the finding last year that male fish in the same area were producing eggs...."

Male fish in the Potomac River are producing eggs? Has the world of wildlife gone as wacko as the human world? First, it was the Frankenfish, also known as "The Snakehead"; now scientists are investigating a hormonal upset.

According to the Washington Post article, no particular compound causing this unusual development has yet been identified. But the article says,

"Scientists say the most likely culprits could be nearby chicken farms, which produce manure full of chicken estrogen, and sewage plants, whose output can include hormones that are excreted from the human body."

I suppose that women on hormone replacement therapy need some kind of filter on their toilets. The manure from chicken farms (Perdue?) is another matter altogether.