 There are 30 small- and large-bodied fish species that live in the water system in the Qu'Appelle Valley and make up 45% of the fish biodiversity in Saskatchewan (The Water Security Agency, n.d.).The bigmouth buffalo, a fish species restricted only to the Qu'Appelle Valley River, is under federal protection as it is at risk of becoming extinct due to habitat loss.The Water Security Agency (n.d.) speculates that dams and structures that control water have caused the degradation of spawning habitats for bigmouth buffalo due to the alteration of the natural flow of lakes and river systems.