In 2009, the first edition of Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes was published. This was the first time in the history of fisheries science that standardization of methods and equipment had taken place on such a large geographic scale. Since its publication, the methods have been used extensively across North America by local, state, and federal agencies, organizations, and universities who have seen the advantages of large-scale data comparison. Authors have been invited to present these methods in other locations around the world to help with standard sampling programs on other continents. Now, with large-scale issues such as human-caused climate change, effects of landscape-scale regulations, and effects of habitat degradation continuing to increase in importance, the ability to compare data across wide regions and political boundaries, compare data over time, and collect data with improved accuracy and precision is more important than ever. This new edition of Standard Methods is sponsored by the American Fisheries Society (AFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), with contributions by numerous state, provincial and federal agencies, and numerous academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). It is authored by over 100 experts in fisheries sampling from across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Most techniques for water body types addressed in the first edition have been kept the same-in the interest of standardization over time; however, many important additions have been made.

Like the first edition, these methods are designed for fish community assessments in North American aquatic systems (e.g., for this edition, lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams containing warmwater and coldwater species; the Great Lakes, wetlands, and cenotes). Although other methods may be available that better target a more specific size-group or species, these techniques were selected as most effective for general surveys of these systems and typically are the most effective for capturing the common fishes found in these waters.