It gets even more interesting when one looks at specific resources. I can C&R trout, bass, sunfish all day and even river salmon with minimal release mortality. An estuary salmon is often dead, period. Many fish brought up from depth are dead. Who in the world is gonna C&R crabs, shrimp, and clams? "Hey man, you shoulda seen the 'duck I C&R'd today." Same with hunting, C&R just doesn't work.

So, it seems, the (mis)managers need to understand that a crabber needs to have crabs in the pot or they are pissed. If there aren't enough crab out there to support the effort the either find a way to reduce the effort or get more crab out there.