Chinese sturgeon are on their way out, say scientists in Asia.

A recent survey, carried out by the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and funded by China's Ministry of Agriculture, found that the 140 million-year-old species has stopped naturally reproducing. The only thing sustaining the population are artificial breeding programs, Chinese scientists confirmed.

"It is the first time that we found no natural reproduction of the endangered sturgeons since records began 32 years ago, when a dam was built," lead researcher Wei Qiwei told Xinhua, China's state news agency.

The massive fish, one of the largest sturgeon species in the world, can weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds and stretch as long as 13 feet. In addition to being one of the biggest, Chinese sturgeon are some of the hardiest travelers. Before the Yangtze River -- literally "The Long River" -- was intersected with dams, Chinese sturgeon would embark on 2,000-mile migrations upriver.

The river's many dams, pollution and overfishing has doomed the species, and a fish that once littered the waters now number in the dozens. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, there were still more than 10,000 Chinese sturgeon in 1970. By 2007, only 300 were left. Today, that number likely sits at less than 100. And with natural reproduction having ceased, the species will soon be gone.

The Chinese sturgeon are just one of many imperiled sturgeon species. There are 25 sturgeon species scattered about the globe -- 16 of them are listed as "critically endangered" by the IUCN.