I kept one at 24" that was dead. Not bleeding, dead. I put it back and it floated around in the wash for a while, so I gaffed it from the rock and kept it. I refuse to live in a society that can't recognize why that's perfectly acceptable, so I tend to defer to what it morally right and makes sense over what's legally permissable.
Do what you think is best and live with what follows.
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