sandy says rather eloquently:

"Are there any moral absolutes in the fishing business"?

If "moral" and "business" are removed and the question re-asked,
"Are there any absolutes in fishing"? The answer to this question is YES!!

The International Game Fish Association maintains an absolute list of game fishing rules, and, IGFA intreprets its rules. I have no knowledge how the IGFA determines and intreprets its rules but IGFA rules for fly fishing can be read at:

http://www.igfa.org/BookRule2004.pdf On page 5 of 9 it states:

"No scent, either natural or artificial is allowed on flies. The use of scented material in a fly is prohibited".

When sandy seys:

...... if you hold the fly underneath your net and squeeze-pump the foam body of the fly a few times, as the scent-laden fish slime runs down off the net (into the fly's foam body).........

I have absolutely no clue whether or not any fly prepared as sandy so described above being used to apply for a world record is or is not compliant with IGFA's scent rule. I am convinced however that Doug Blodgett at IGFA would know, or could refer anybody to the person or persons within IGFA who DO know if scent-laden slime squeeze-pumped into a foam fly is, or is NOT IGFA rule compliant.

I do have precise prior knowledge that the IGFA will take any actions it deems necessary and sufficient to validate compliance with its rules. For example the IGFA did send my popping bug, tippet, leader and two foot length of fly line to an independent testing laboratory. The only information IGFA chose to reveal to me was that the lab reported that my tippet broke when stressed at 4.19 pounds pressure. The IGFA might choose to send any fly accompanying a world record application to an independant testing laboratory to ascertain if the fly contained any "scent" in violation of IGFA rules.

sandy further said:

I've published quite a few fly tying pieces in glossy magazines over the
years. But I know I could never get anything about
scent-laden foam Crayfish flies published. Even though they're hot as
a fish catching pistol. Why not is part of my original question.
Why are the concepts of odor and wiggling, lure-like flies
so totally off limits in polite fly fishing society?

I don't know why magazines would not publish articles about scent-laden crawfish nor why odor is so totally off limits in fly fishing society. I too have wondered why scents are unacceptable in high gloss popping bug topcoats.

Perhaps, just perhaps, scents are unacceptable when fly fishing is because when some people read IGFA's rules, they choose to believe scents are illegal.

Good luckj!
John