Sturgeon populations in European rivers and coastal waters have undergone a dramatic decline over the last 150 years. In addition to overharvest, the intensive development of hydropower and river channelization have led to massive habitat loss and fragmentation affecting all stages of their life-cycle. As a consequence, all eight sturgeon species in European waters are threatened with extinction (IUCN 2022) and are reported as being in “unfavourable” conservation status under the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive.
To improve this situation, the Pan-European Action Plan for sturgeons (PANEUAP) was adopted under the Bern Convention in 2018 and endorsed for implementation under the Habitats Directive, thus providing a framework of actions to be implemented in sturgeon range countries.
The Action Plan requests all signatory countries to “restore all existing sturgeon populations to “least concern” (IUCN) or “favourable” (Habitats Directive) status and re-establish self-sustaining sturgeon populations as well as their life-cycle habitat in their historic range to an extent that ensures species survival and representation of the subpopulations where possible."
To assess the progress made in the range countries, a survey was conducted funded through an EC contract comprising 85 questions. Potential respondents from authorities responsible for biodiversity and water management, as well as one national sturgeon expert were included in 18 countries throughout the range. In some countries fisheries agencies were also contacted. Overall, a minimum of three responses per country were included. The results were analysed in reports for five river and sea basins in Europe (North-East Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean, Upper-Middle Danube and Lower Danube/Black Sea) including single country information as well as a comparison of all countries of one region, including maps of each river basin depicting potential and confirmed sturgeon habitats.

Bern Convention,,Action plan,evaluation,Implementation