Previously known from all rivers draining into the North Sea and the Baltic Sea (Ref. 83311, 89099); used to occur along the coast of the German North Sea (Ref. 88716, 88187) and the Kattegat (Ref. 89084). Reported to have been vanished due to massive overfishing, damming, river regulation, and pollution. Only single records have been taken since the 1950s, mainly from the German Bight and around Heligoland (Ref. 89097, 89098). The last specimen from German waters was incidentally caught in 1993 near Heligoland (Ref. 59043, 89098). Also Ref. 6376, 51346.

National status of threat of freshwater stocks: extinct (Ref. 41851, 83311, 89096).

Human activities in the German North Sea and adjacent river systems that might affect European sturgeons: fisheries, obstruction in rivers, sediment removal, eutrophication, chemical pollution, channel deepening and aquaculture (Ref. 88171).