I've seen the picture floating around, I'm happy to see a story behind it. I'm honestly surprised that it's "only" 30lbs, with it being 47 inches and as girthy as it appears to be in the photos. Great fish!
Congrats to the kid but really too bad they killed it I say. Big girls like that deserve a couple of nice pics, a speedy measurement, and a quick release back down the hole for a chance to get to 40 lbs imo.