B Mac, I agree with you 100%, if you're going to c&r do it quickly with minimal stress to the fish. I have been a guide in S.E. Ak. for 10 years and have seen some truly wide open king bites, with these hot bites and the fact that non resident guests are allowed 1 king a day and 4 for the year many of them ask about c&r, I prefer not to do it but because I am mainly working for tips I do sometimes release, but I also tell the guest that they must keep the drags where I set them (tight) and they must get them in in a reasonable amount of time, if they don't and I think the fish is going to die it goes in the box, my call, not theirs.
I have also watched a number of people here on the peninsula where I do most of my winter fishing fight fish to near exhaustion, 15-20 minute fights and then release them thinking just because they swam away they'll be fine, ever seen a chicken with its head cut off, just because he's running doesn't mean he's ok.
I have a friend in Ketchikan who is a biologist for Ak. fish and game who claim there research indicates anywhere from 33 to 40 percent of salmon c&r will not make it, he says that because of there bi-valve heart as opposed to our 4 valve hearts they are much more susseptable to heart failure, he thinks if the fight goes more than 12 to 15 minutes throw the fish in the box, its not likely to survive, I tend to agree, well thats my .02 worth, good fishing