Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) continue to successfully produce eggs after exposure to high levels of 17α-ethinylestradiol.

17α-Ethinylestradiol (EE2) is a potent estrogen used in birth-control pills. Previous laboratory and field studies have shown negative impacts in a variety of fish species after exposure to low levels of EE2, most notably a nearly complete shutdown of egg production. The present study demonstrates that mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus), a small-bodied estuarine species, is able to continue to produce eggs after exposure for 28 d to 100 ng of EE2/L. No effect of EE2 on egg production was observed, whereas a >35-fold increase in vitellogenin (vtg 1) gene expression in males was found. The lack of response in egg production in fish exposed to high levels of EE2 warrants further investigations on species-specific responses to estrogens and endocrine disruptors in general.