A Panama City charter fishing captain will serve jail time for poisoning and shooting dolphins that were stealing fish from his clients’ fishing lines.
At a Glance
- Zackary Barfield, 31, was sentenced to one month in jail and fined $51,000 for killing dolphins
- He used the pesticide methomyl to poison baitfish and shot dolphins with a 12-gauge shotgun
- Barfield killed between 24-70 dolphins and committed these acts in front of clients, including children
- He violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
- His sentence includes one year of supervised release following his jail term
Captain’s Illegal Actions Against Protected Marine Life
Zackary Barfield, a 31-year-old charter boat captain from Panama City, Florida, has been sentenced to one month in prison for poisoning and shooting dolphins. Barfield pleaded guilty to three counts in February related to his deliberate killing of these protected marine mammals. His frustration stemmed from dolphins eating red snapper off his clients’ fishing lines during charter trips, which led him to take extreme and illegal measures against the animals, rather than employing legal deterrent methods.
Court documents revealed that Barfield violated both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act through his actions. In 2022, he began using methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide, to contaminate baitfish that he knew dolphins would consume. Authorities estimate that Barfield poisoned between 24 and 70 dolphins during this period, likely causing numerous deaths that went undocumented as the animals would have died away from his vessel.
Escalation to Firearms and Witness Accounts
When poisoning didn’t fully solve his problem, Barfield escalated to shooting dolphins with a 12-gauge shotgun in 2022 and 2023. According to the Department of Justice, he shot at least five dolphins, with one confirmed killed immediately. Perhaps most disturbing, these violent acts sometimes occurred in front of paying customers, including two elementary school-aged children who witnessed him shooting at dolphins during one charter trip.
The investigation was conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement, which gathered evidence of Barfield’s systematic targeting of dolphins. Prosecutors emphasized that Barfield was well aware of regulations protecting dolphins but chose to violate them repeatedly, showing a deliberate disregard for wildlife protection laws that most charter captains carefully observe while conducting their businesses.
Legal Consequences and Official Statements
U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle sentenced Barfield to one month in jail, followed by one year of supervised release. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a substantial fine of $51,000. The case has drawn attention throughout the fishing community as an example of the serious consequences of violating marine protection laws, which are designed to safeguard species critical to ocean ecosystems.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division emphasized the importance of the sentence as a deterrent. “He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children. This sentence demonstrates our commitment to enforcing the rule of law. It should deter others from engaging in such conduct,” Gustafson stated following the sentencing. The case highlights the federal government’s ongoing efforts to protect marine mammals from harm.
