Living fossils that have been around since the time of the dinosaurs, lake sturgeons have elongated cone-shaped snouts, rows of bony armor on their back, can live for over 100 years, and can grow to more than two meters long. A hundred years ago, Canadian fishermen caught millions of kilograms of lake sturgeon every year. Now, sightings of them are rare enough to warrant news coverage and scientists estimate there are fewer than 1,000 lake sturgeons left in the rivers and lakes of western Canada.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has declared the species threatened in western Canada and at risk in eastern Canada. Some scientists believe the species population could grow, but most subscribe to the view that there are not enough left to sustain a breeding population, since the sturgeon only spawns once every four to six years.

Experts warn that continuing degradation of 15 out of 24 ecosystem services examined will increase the chances of new diseases emerging, water quality changing suddenly, “dead zones” developing along coastlines, fisheries collapsing, and regional climates shifting.

The assessment says more land was converted to agriculture since 1945 than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. It also says that more than half of the synthetic nitrogen fertilizers ever used were used after 1985. Experts say both of these factors have contributed to accelerated extinction rates and loss of biodiversity, and that between 10 and 30 percent of mammal, bird and amphibian species are currently in danger of extinction.