Changing olfactory preference by olfactory imprinting in Persian Sturgeon ( Acipenser persicus) larvae

Olfactory imprinting is one of the affordable approaches for improving neonatal feeding in husbandry. In order to evaluate the possibility of olfactory imprinting in the Persian sturgeon larvae and to evaluate its future application in the feeding of larvae, two groups of early fertilized eggs were exposed to the stimuli solution (phenyl ethyl alcohol (0.0001 mol/L) and the fish feed extract (0.01 g/L) until 29 days after hatching. The third group (control) exposed to neither stimuli solution nor the fish feed extract. Fish larvae behavior was examined in Y-maze at days 11 and 25 posthatch in order to evaluate the larvae preference/avoidance reactions to the stimuli solution and the fish feed extract. The results indicated that the exposed Persian sturgeon larvae did not show any preference/avoidance reaction at day 11 posthatch to the pertinent stimuli, whereas the exposed Persian sturgeon larvae preference was for the stimuli solution rather than the fish feed extract at day 25 posthatch (P<0.05). The preference of larvae of the control group was for the fish feed extract rather than the stimuli solution at day 25 posthatch, whereas the exposed Persian sturgeon larvae preference was for the stimuli solution rather than the fish feed extract at day 25 posthatch. The average time of the larvae presence (value for reaction) in the arm containing the pertinent stimuli was significantly higher than the average time of the larvae presence in the arm containing the fish feed extract (P<0.05). The result indicated that continues exposure of egg and larvae of the Persian sturgeon to the phenyl ethyl alcohol (0.0001 mol/L) and the fish feed extract (0.01 g/L) could change olfactory preference of the larvae at day 25 post hatch.