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Fish urotensin I (UI), a member of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) family of peptides, is a potent inhibitor of food intake in mammals, yet the role of UI in the control of food intake in fish is not known. Therefore, to determine the acute effects of UI on appetite relative to those of CRH, goldfish were given intracerebroventricu-lar (i.c.v.) injections of carp/goldfish UI and rat/human CRH (0.2–200 ng/g) and food intake was assessed for a 2-hour period after the injection. UI and CRH both sup-pressed food intake in a dose-related manner and UI (ED50 = 3.8 ng/g) was significantly more potent than CRH (ED50 = 43.1 ng/g). Pretreatment with the CRH receptor antagonist, ·-helical CRH(9–41), reversed the reduction in food intake induced by i.c.v. UI and CRH. To asses