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A Florida man who shot and poisoned protected dolphins was sentenced to 30 days in prison and one year of supervised release.
Many locals in Panama City are outraged over the weak prison sentence.
Prosecutors alleged that Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, shot bottlenose dolphins and poisoned bait after growing frustrated that the dolphins were eating from his charter fishing clients.
Federal environmental prosecutor Adam Gustafson stated, “He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children.”
NOAA Fisheries reported that Barfield fed 24-70 dolphins poisoned bait and shot at least 5 dolphins, killing one.
A Florida man who shot dolphins attracted to baited fishing lines cast from boats he operated was sentenced to 30 days in prison and one year of supervised release. pic.twitter.com/PM8qYNCBxL
— Eugene (@BreakingNews4X) May 25, 2025
Per NBC News:
A Florida man who shot dolphins attracted to baited fishing lines cast from boats he operated was sentenced to 30 days in prison and one year of supervised release.
Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, not only shot the bottlenose dolphins but also used poisoned bait after growing frustrated that they were eating from his charter fishing clients, according to prosecutors, who said the crimes happened in 2022 and 2023.
Prosecutors and federal law enforcement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Barfield shot at five dolphins, killing at least one, and used poisoned bait on dozens more during outings from Panama City.
“He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children,” federal environmental prosecutor Adam Gustafson said Friday in a statement.
Barfield’s attorney in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
Barfield opened fire while two elementary school-age children were on board and, separately, while more than a dozen fishermen were aboard boats he operated, prosecutors said.
He used poisoned bait even more prodigiously, they said.
“Barfield fed an estimated 24–70 dolphins poison-laden baitfish on charter trips that he captained,” NOAA Fisheries said in a separate statement Friday.
NOAA Fisheries said it launched an investigation into Barfield in 2023 after one of its law enforcement agents received a tip that he was killing dolphins.
A Florida fisherman has been sentenced to 30 days in prison and fined $51,000 for using laced baitfish with methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide, and using a 12-gauge shotgun to kill dolphins during fishing trips. https://t.co/JEml97WA68
— KFDM News (@kfdmnews) May 24, 2025
Per KDFM:
A Florida fisherman has been sentenced to 30 days in prison and fined $51,000 for poisoning and shooting protected dolphins in Gulf waters.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said federal prosecutors announced on Friday that Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31 — a licensed charter and commercial fishing captain from Panama City — targeted bottlenose dolphins between 2022 and 2023, frustrated that they were eating red snapper off his clients’ lines.
According to court documents, he laced baitfish with methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide, and used a 12-gauge shotgun to kill dolphins during fishing trips.
“The defendant’s selfish acts are more than illegally poisoning and shooting protected animals – they are serious crimes against public resources,” said the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Michelle Spaven.
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