Yeah, biggest one Ive seen. We have them in NC but I've never caught one despite trying. I would eat what I catch but probably wouldn't for one that big as it's likely as old as the hills.
Still ongoing with no signs of stopping in the US. Most people here buy fish at the market already fileted, strangers to what the entire fish actually looks like, or how good the rest of the fish is outside of the filets. You'll basically only see whole fish at the market in ethnic supermarkets. And you'll find the "trash" fish there too - shad, bluefish, milkfish, etc.