My comment about 'tossing the fish back in the water' was not about whether the bass should be released back into the pond.

I meant actually physically tossing/throwing it back in vs. gently placing it back in the water and moving water over it's gills when you are resuscitating a fish after catching it.

Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."