Limit question

[dubob]

If you catch a slot cut at Strawberry, you are required by law  to release it unharmed.

Okay, I have to disagree with that statement.  Here is the direct quote from the Guidebook:

“Strawberry Reservoir, Wasatch County. . . .

•All cutthroat trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released."

The word 'unharmed' does not appear anywhere in that quote.  In fact, the only place it does appear in the guidebook is in this quote:

"The bonytail is currently found in limited stretches of the Green and Colorado mainstem rivers, where the species is stocked by the Upper Colorado River Recovery Program. The species is endangered and, if caught, should be returned immediately to the water unharmed. The body is highly streamlined, with a bluish, dusky color above to pale below. The head is short and noticeably concave. The area just in front of the fish’s tail fin is exremely narrow. Bonytail can reach lengths of 22 inches and weigh more than two pounds in the wild."

You will also note that it says 'SHOULD be returned immediately to the water unharmed', and not 'SHALL be returned immediately to the water unharmed'.  Shall is often used to express a mandatory obligation, while should is used to express a recommendation or suggestion.

You also have an ethical responsibility to do so in a manner that does not injure or kill the fish.

Ethical responsibility is the ability to recognize, interpret and act upon multiple principles and values according to the standards within a given field and/or context.  Unfortunately, we find way too many folks in today's world that lack that ability.