In the Event of

[kennebecstriper]

unfortunately some shorts do get gut hooked(hopefully only 1 a year or less) but to put in my 2 cents I would take it feel guilty as heck and call it a night.
I have had great nights spoiled this way and was styopped once by a con. officer who luckily knew me and my good rep. and agreed that it was the right thing to do. I usually only take one fish a year anyway so if it is a short then that is it.
Tight lines all.

[Ron in Maine]

There is morally right, and legally right. And then there is what you are willing to do, or in this case, possibly pay. If you take the fish, you might make the argument that you are doing what is right. Just keep in mind, if and when you get caught with it, the man fining you is doing what is right, and you should be willing to pay the fine and not utter one disrespectful word. To me, it sucks to kill a fish that you do not mean to kill but it happens. It would really suck to kill a fish that should not have been killed and be fined a lot of money on top of it for doing what is right.
And although not on topic, per say, keep in mind, when a fish busts off and runs with twenty feet or yards of line, that line has a good chance of getting caught up on something and also killing that fish. Do what you can to protect our resources while enjoying them. We have seen how hard it is to recover this one.