1. Because alligator gar populations are a fraction of what they used to be 2.This fish is full of mercury and pollutants 3. Alligator gar this size are over 40 years old and it is crucial to release them to ensure breeding so there are more alligator gar. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t let this fish go considering alligator gar have been extirpated from the majority of its native range