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Sensory
Fish Pheromones
Chemical signals used for reproduction, alarm, kin recognition, and navigation - the invisible communication network of the underwater world.
System: Endocrine Level: Advanced Discipline: Endocrinology
📖 Overview
Fish live in a chemical universe more nuanced than any of ours. Female goldfish release F-prostaglandin pheromones that trigger male courtship within seconds. Salmon imprint the chemical signature of their natal stream and navigate back to it years later. Sea lampreys attract mates with bile-derived pheromones so specific they are now used as bait to lure invasive lampreys into traps.
⚙️ Mechanism
Chemical signals detected via olfactory rosettes. Different receptor classes handle food odours, alarm compounds, and reproductive pheromones. Signals can act over metres to kilometres in flowing water.
🐟 Examples
Sea lamprey pheromones used in invasive control. Goldfish reproductive pheromones. Salmon natal-stream imprinting. Zebrafish alarm substance (Schreckstoff).
🎯 Applications
Sea lamprey pheromone-based trapping in the Great Lakes. Aquaculture spawning induction. Fisheries management.
✨ Fun Fact
Sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes uses a bile-derived pheromone as bait - synthesised in the laboratory - to lure invasive lampreys into traps at spawning time. It has cut lamprey populations 90% since introduction.
🐟 Species Illustrating This Topic