Chinese sturgeon extinction is a concern currently raised by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS). According to multiple reports, they recently conducted a survey to determine the population of the species, and the prognosis was grim. The Chinese news service Xinhua reports that the Chinese sturgeon extinction is imminent, since the fish species, which is one of the world's oldest living species and has been around for about 140 million years, has not reproduced since last year.

According to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), news of the Chinese sturgeon extinction comes after scientists found that none of the rare fish were found to have reproduced naturally in the Yangtze River, which is polluted and crowded last year, since the previous year.

Signs of the Chinese sturgeon extinction have been apparent for many years. The Smithsonian reports that the population of the giant fish, which can grow over nine feet and weigh 500 pounds, has decreased dramatically in the past few decades.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the decline in the number of the fish has fallen from 10,000 in 1970 to less than 300 in 2007 - a huge decrease in any standard. 

According to a report published by the CAFS, this is the first time that researchers found the Chinese sturgeon not reproducing since scientists kept their population on record over 32 years ago.

Researcher Wei Qiwei at the CAFS told Xinhua on Saturday of the Chinese sturgeon extinction, "It is the first time that we found no natural reproduction of the endangered sturgeons since records began 32 years ago when [the Gezhouba] dam was built."

No eggs were found laid by the giant fish, apart from the lack of young sturgeons in central China's Hubei province last month, reports the AFP. Apparently, August is the typical time of the year the species reproduce and the young Chinese sturgeons swim from Yangtze toward the sea.

Qiwei added of the imminent Chinese sturgeon extinction, "No natural reproduction means that the sturgeons would not expand its population and without protection, they might risk extinction."

Reports say the fish has already been declared "critically endangered" on the IUCN's "red list" of threatened species. This means the species is just one level ahead of being "extinct in the wild".

Unfortunately, there are only around 100 Chinese sturgeons remaining in the wild, said Wei.

Is the polluted Yangtze River cause the cause of the Chinese sturgeon extinction?

According to the AFP, the crash in the numbers of the Chinese sturgeon was brought about by China's economic boom. Since then, habitat loss, pollution from dam construction, reduced water quality and boat traffic along the world's third-longest river, among others, have been the cause of the species' fall.

Campaigners have reportedly warned of environmental degradation and disruption of the habitats of a wide range of endangered species when Chinese authorities decided to build dozens of dams in the country. One construction which held most true was the Three Gorges along the Yangtze River, the world's largest dam.

According to Newsweek, dams cut off areas where the Chinese sturgeons previously used to breed. Pollution has also undermined their reproduction abilities, said scientists. Reports say similar threats that contributed to the Chinese sturgeon extinction include illegal caviar trade and overfishing. Along with these, many of their number were downed because of ship propeller injuries and net entanglement from fishermen.

Though the Chinese sturgeons are capable of living for decades, they reportedly don't reproduce often. Similar to salmon, the Chinese sturgeon or Acipenser sinensis spend most of their days in the ocean. They return to the rivers to reproduce, reports Newsweek.

According to a 2012 study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), animal populations in several Chinese ecosystems have dwindled down because of the country's economic boom which brought on handfuls of development and urbanisation.

Other findings compiled by WWF from various sources include a status on the Baiji or Chinese/Yangtze River dolphin population. The cetacean's population in China crashed to 99.4%, from 1980 to 2006, according to the findings.

According to Newsweek, in 2006, scientists declared them to be "functionally extinct." None of the species have since been seen. Another animal species, the Chinese alligator, fell by 97% from 1955 to 2010, according to the AFP.

The Chinese sturgeon have been "nicknamed aquatic pandas," said Xinhua. They have also been "listed as a wild creature under... national top protection."

Chinese sturgeon extinction now seems likely more than ever as there are no plans from the government to save the species by destroying newly-built dams. Not unless drastic action is taken.