Hydrobiologia publishes original research, reviews and opinions investigating the biology of freshwater and marine habitats, including the impact of human activities.

Coverage includes molecular-, organism-, community -and ecosystem-level studies dealing with biological research in limnology and oceanography, including systematics and aquatic ecology.

In addition to hypothesis-driven experimental research, it presents theoretical papers relevant to a broad hydrobiological audience, and collections of papers in special issues covering focused topics.

[1] Koen Martens took over the responsibility as editor-in-chief in 2003, with the aim of increasing the relevance and impact of the journal to a broader readership.

In 2015, due to the increase in the number of submissions, three associate editors-in-chief started helping him to manage a group of about 45 academic editors.