Valid question.
The fish I'm looking to harvest come from the Atlantic. The restrictions can be a bit confusing i.e, no size limit in territorial waters but 17" or greater in federal waters. I fish along that line so I basically obey the more stringent regulation. However, to get a fish that meets the more stringent regulation can be hard to get, so If I get one or two that I can share at dinner with my father, I want to make sure it's fresh to put on the table. I think I'll bleed the fish as Mr. Hottle & 813Basstard suggest.