I understand the regulation. It still does not make sense that a fish legally caught in RI is illegal in CT the adjacent state. At the time they made the regulation I'm guessing that they they used the "short" mentality. If a fish is short, it must be released even if it is dead or dying. If people were allowed to keep dead/dying shorts, dishonest people would claim many or most shorts were dead or dying which would increase the mortality rate.

The difference is today's cell phone cameras stamp pictures with time & location. A person can prove where any photographed fish was caught.

I will try to get this sorted out before the spring

MikeV