Dear List:

Thanks to all who responded to my question about sturgeons and rubber
bands.  Most of the repsonses were sent to the list so I won't attempt to
summarize them.  Clearly, it appears wild fishes becoming entangled with
refuse is much more common than I thought having been noted with sturgeons
and other species around the world.  Evidently, sturgeons tend to
"nose-up" loose objects on the river bottom and commonly become entangled.
Mortality associated with this phenomenon may be significant in some
populations, but little quantitative data are available.

Thanks again,
Mike Eggleton
Mississippi State University