The European plan of action recommends the establishment of a European strategy aimed at defining the catchment basins, within the historic range, that would be most promising for new populations arising from reproduction in captivity.  This strategy would draw on the identification, mapping and assessment of the state of conservation of essential habitats used by the sturgeon throughout this historic range - the North East Atlantic, where the sturgeon still exists, being uppermost in this strategy.  In the long term, this strategy could be extended to other regions in Europe where the species has disappeared:

- the Mediterranean (in France, restoration on the River Rhone where the historic presence of the species has been confirmed; sites identified for the European sturgeon by Natura 2000  in Spain, Italy and Greece);

- the Danube basin (conservation plan or reintroduction of 6 sturgeon species from this basin adopted by the Bern Convention in 2005).

This strategy shall rely on conservation management plans for the catchment basin, under the aegis of local authorities and in partnership with concerned public and private entities.  These management plans will incorporate measures to monitor the efficiency of reintroductions of the species into the natural environment, based on the tagging of released fish.