Kenman, that really stinks. It bothers me when anyone breaks the law, let alone someone who has to know better, especially when he/she is relied upon to uphold that same law. Ignorance is no excuse to break a law, but when someone knows the law and they break it anyway, it's just defiance. It makes the whole department look bad because of one or a couple individual's actions. It's a shame.
As far as the 2 trap rule, I agree with jgguppyboy. A lot of us go out for catch and release. For everyone to slay fish all day on 6 traps, that would put a big strain on the populations. Even if you're a responsible angler who knows what you're doing, it's not always possible to release every fish unharmed.
I'm not sure if you were kidding about F&G officers making 25K a year, but that's a bit unrealistic. Especially considering they are willing to put themselves in harms way to save a life. Officers are hired at around 33K for the first year. After a year of training and being on probation, the officer's pay is increased to 42 or 43K. Given today's cost of living, I don't find that to be unfair.