The near extinction of the Chinese sturgeon was caused by several factors, including its low birth rates, over fishing, and most important, water pollution. The polluted waterways were causing sturgeon malformations, deformed larvae, and a reduced egg quantity. Over the last fifty years, there has been a 73% increase in pollution levels from hundreds of cities, into the main artery of the Yangtze River.

The annual discharge of sewage and industrial waste in the river has reached about 25 million tons, that's nearly 42-percent of the country's total discharge.

Major pollutants in the Yangtze are suspended substances, and oxidizing organic and inorganic compounds.