Fig. 3. Contractile force of ventricle strips from male (A) and female (B) rainbow trout with no chemical additions (Ringer only) and after exposure to ethanol (EtOH), 11-ketotestosterone (11KT; 0.3 µmol l^–1), testosterone (T; 0.3 µmol l^–1), cortisol (C; 0.1 µmol l^–1 in males and 0.01 µmol l^–1 in females) and estradiol (E2; 1.0 nmol l^–1). Contractile force in E2-treated strips from males did not differ significantly from that in EtOH control strips. Similarly, force in 11KT- or T-treated strips from females did not differ significantly from EtOH control strips. All steroid values are means + S.E.M. (N=8–12). *P<0.05 versus EtOH control strips.