Recent Progress on Standardization of European Freshwater Fish Sampling Methods

Sustained efforts to standardise freshwater fish sampling methods in Europe have enjoyed a considerable history now amounting to more than three decades in duration.  Much of this work has historically been driven from the perspective of recreational and commercial fisheries management as advocated by the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (now the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission), but in recent years this impetus has diversified to include nature conservation issues through the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive and more general aquatic ecosystem health through the EU Water Framework Directive.  This has resulted in formal European standards on the appropriate selection of fish sampling methods (EN 14962:2006), sampling of fish with electricity (EN 14011:2003), sampling of fish with multi-mesh gillnets (EN 14757:2005), and a provisional European standard on the estimation of fish abundance with mobile hydroacoustic methods (prEN 15910).  These standards are briefly reviewed, together with the drivers and process which brought them about, and their ongoing relevance is discussed.  Finally, reference is made to recent and current research activities directed at producing standardized assessments of fish communities in European rivers and lakes.