In Florida’s Gulf waters, dolphins swam close to charter fishing boats, looking for scraps. Instead, they were met with poisoned bait and gunfire.
Zackery Brandon Barfield, a commercial fishing captain from Panama City, admitted to lacing baitfish with a highly toxic pesticide and using a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot dolphins over the course of multiple trips1. He targeted dolphins he claimed were “stealing” fish from his clients’ lines. His actions were deliberate, repeated, and carried out in front of children and paying customers2.
Deliberate Cruelty in Protected Waters
According to prosecutors, Barfield knowingly violated federal law by killing protected bottlenose dolphins—once in front of two elementary school-age children, and again with over a dozen passengers on board3. He admitted to poisoning up to 70 dolphins with methomyl, a pesticide so dangerous it is restricted by the EPA4. The toxic bait was used repeatedly, despite his awareness of the environmental harm it would cause.
Weak Sentencing Sends the Wrong Message
Yet the court sentenced him to only one month in jail, a $51,000 fine, and a year of supervised release5.
These dolphins died in agony. They were intelligent, social animals protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act—killed with cruel intention and little consequence. Federal officials described the acts as selfish, heartless, and egregious1, but the sentence handed down was weak.
Call For Stronger Protections Now
Every dolphin killed with poisoned bait or a shotgun blast represents a failure to enforce our most basic wildlife protections. When the legal system allows someone to harm marine mammals and walk away with a 30-day sentence, it sends a dangerous message: that these lives don’t matter.
We can’t let that stand.
If we don’t demand change now, it will happen again. Stronger penalties, stricter enforcement, and legal reform are the only way to protect vulnerable marine species from deliberate cruelty.
Sign the petition today to demand real consequences for Barfield—and ensure future abusers face justice.
