What an amazing fish! The regulations in TX allow for one fish per day over 85" inches, which is for a record. Perhaps this fish at 95" will just up the limit. So far all the people who are worried about the fish being killed, this might help raise the bar. I don't like seeing the fish killed, I don't know the man that caught it, but I am sure the captain and his son have a great appreciation for the species so it ain't my place to say nothing. What a catch for these guys!
Just know even fish that are caught and released can sit for days after a fight only to get sharked, especially in FL. Satellite tags have shown us this. Unfortunately for as much as people care about these fish, including myself, the act of fishing for them is going to produce more mortality than we all probably care to acknowledge. So if you are really worried about killing the fish, don't fish for them. Use the right gear to fight them correctly, don't bring them in the boat, and revive them correctly in the water to up your chances of seeing that fish swim away. If you are gonna get upset you should worry more about the guys fishing the bridges in FL where the hammerheads hang out. Those guys kill way more fish.
On my soap box now...
One dead fish in TX isn't the issue. If you really care about the species get involved with an organization. I am part of a group called the Field Workers Club which pairs up anglers and science to satellite tag these fish in order to collect data that can be shared with fisheries across the gulf and Caribbean (
https://www.fieldworkersclub.com/). Tons more fish are killed in Mexico and other areas even before they get to TX. These fish travel tremendous distance this time of year in places much more dangerous than TX.
Look up Scott here on this board and contribute to his organization called Project Tarpon. There is also the Bonefish Tarpon Trust which also funds tagging efforts to help us understand how these fish migrate so more can be learned and shared about conserving the resource. One record fish in TX a summer isn't the issue. These fish swim the gauntlet every year before they even get to our waters. Once again, congrats to the Captain and his son.