Jacob,

I agree with you on the "removing fish from water" regulation.

It doesn't make it illegal to stick both your hands in its gills, or standing on its head in two inches of water to rip the hook out, but it does prevent you from responsibly holding it out of the water to get a good picture, and may have some safety implications both in boats and on stream banks that aren't conducive to wading.

Fish on...

Todd