Florida Fishing Captain Gets $51K in Fines, Jail Time for Slaughtering Dolphins with Children Onboard

Another “longtime charter and commercial fishing captain” from the great state of Florida has let his temper launch him overboard and into the hands of the law. With an inability to cope with competition, the 31-year-old captain has since been sentenced for his role in illegally poisoning and shooting bottlenosed dolphins out in the Gulf of America.

According to the Northern District of Florida, Zackery Brandon Barfield of Panama City Beach, was accused of killing upwards of 91 bottlenose dolphins. Working as a licensed charter and commercial fishing captain for his entire life, Barfield admitted to poisoning the dolphins by lacing baitfish with methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

On the occasions when the poison didn’t quite do the trick, it was reported that the captain would turn to his trusty 12-gauge shotgun (among other weapons) to dispatch of the fish-snatching sea mammals, often in the presence of clients, which included elementary-aged children.

"He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children," Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson, of the DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in a statement.

These acts were described as “intentional and heartless” by authorities, and were in direct violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act as stated by Michelle Spaven, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“The Gulf of America is a vital natural resource,” said Acting United States Attorney Spaven. “The defendant’s selfish acts are more than illegally poisoning and shooting protected animals – they are serious crimes against public resources, threats to the local ecosystem, and a devastating harm to a highly intelligent and charismatic species. With our dedicated law enforcement partners, we will ensure that the coastal waters remain safe for our citizens and its wildlife.”

According to federal prosecutors, Barfield’s initial frustration with his quirky competition kicked off in the summer of 2022. At that time, prosecutors said he grew frustrated with the dolphins who were constantly snagging red snapper from his clients fishing lines. Turning to poison and his shotgun, it wasn’t long before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was tipped off about his actions.

In 2023, the agency was made aware of a fisherman knocking off Flipper, kicking off the beginning of what would turn into a two-year investigation. As the evidence began to pile up, investigators determined that Barfield force-fed between 24 and 70 bottlenose dolphins his poisoned baitfish elixir on chartered trips he captained. It was also later uncovered that between 2014 and 2024, the beleaguered captain killed 21 additional dolphins using a combination of firearms, arrows, explosives and other sharp objects.

"There are consequences to individuals who decide to harm protected and endangered species," Paige Casey, acting assistant director of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement Southeast Division, said in a statement. "We take these types of actions seriously and we will exhaust any and all leads related to marine mammal deaths to prosecute bad actors to the full extent of the law."

The publicized nature of the case serves as yet another stain on Florida’s fishing community that was shocked earlier this year when another fishing charter captain was arrested after boarding another boat and berating and threatening the captain.

As was announced last week, Barfield has since been sentenced to 30 days’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a $51,000 fine for three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Barfield’s prison sentence will be followed by a one-year term of supervised release.