The present invention relates to methods of imprinting fish in freshwater
with at least one odorant for the fish and causing the imprinted fish to
react to the odorant in seawater, wherein the fish are maintained in
freshwater prior to transfer to seawater, The method includes: adding at
least one Polyvalent Cation Sensing Receptor (PVCR) modulator to the
freshwater in an amount sufficient to modulate expression and/or
sensitivity of at least one PVCR, the PVCR modulator being one which
alters olfactory sensing of the fish to the odorant; adding feed for fish
consumption to the freshwater, the feed containing the odorant and an
amount of NaCl sufficient to contribute to a significantly increased
level of the PVCR modulator in serum of the fish upon consumption of the
feed, whereby the fish are imprinted with the odorant; transferring the
imprinted fish to seawater; and providing a source of said odorant in the
seawater to which the imprinted fish are transferred, thereby causing the
imprinted fish to react to said odorant. The present invention also
includes methods of homing or attracting fish, as well as methods for
repelling fish by modulating the expression and/or sensitivity of the
PVCR in the olfactory apparatus of the fish.