What is this!?

[recoiljpr]

It is not a good idea to release things in your tank back to the wild. There is a small chance that doing this will release something un-intended back when you release him. Maybe an infection or something that may contaminated the ecology of the bay.

Agreed. I would euthanize it (place it in the freezer). That's the "kindest" way you can do it.

We have already introduced enough stuff that has caused problems (goldfish in the mississippi, snakeheads up north, zebra mussels, etc). Even though it is a native, it could have a hitchiker or an infection that could cause a lot of problem.