North American Freshwater Fishes: Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation

Over 1,200 native freshwater fish species occur on the North American continent, comprising the largest temperate, freshwater fish fauna on Earth. The importance of freshwater fishes in North American ecosystem function, their direct value economically and as providers of ecological services, and the increasing need and means to conserve this fauna cannot be emphasized enough. In the last 20-30 years, major scientific advances have been made for these fishes across disciplines of systematics, genetics, physiology, behavior, autecology, community ecology, trophic ecology, and conservation. These advances, however, are marked by increased specialization and resulting fragmentation of knowledge about the diverse North American fish fauna.

Our book will be the first-ever published, fully-illustrated multi-volume work synthesizing all that is known about the diversity, natural history, ecology, and biology of 52 families of North American freshwater fishes (including several marine families with species occurring in fresh water). The coverage includes all of Canada, the coterminous United States, and Mexico (south to about the Isthmus of Tehuantepec).  Chapter authors will synthesize information on a set of standard topic areas for each family (see outline) with emphasis on presenting information at the generic level. Our emphasis is on near-comprehensive synthesis of existing information on freshwater fishes in North America.

The book also will have several non-taxonomic chapters.  Other chapters will provide syntheses on evolution and ecology of fish communities, mating behavior, status and effects of foreign fishes, and conservation. 

Currently, we have 71 authors engaged in the book. Volume 1 is anticipated to go to Johns Hopkins University Press in August 2011 for release about one year later. Volume 2 and Volume 3 will follow at roughly one-year intervals.