The european sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, is an endangered migratory fish which has disappeared from the majority of the rivers in its natural distribution range. Today the species is known to reproduce only in the Gironde catchment, in southwest France, where an EU LIFE NATURE project has been carried out since 1994. This programme highlights the direct link between disappearance of the species, overfishing and habitat disturbance, leading the programme managers to worry about the sociological aspects of the species' vulnerability. Despite legal protection of the species, the fish conservation practices suffer from a weak administrative framework. New legislation is needed to approach the management of freshwater and migratory fishes within a much more global and integrated scheme for the management of the rivers.