Sadistic Florida fisherman jailed and fined for killing dolphins in front of kids
Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, of Panama City, Fla., used a 12-gauge shotgun during fishing trips in 2022 and 2023 when he opened fire on five bottlenose dolphins, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.
Barfield also fed poisoned bait to dozens more of the marine animals, using methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide that affects the nervous system of humans, mammals and other animals.
'Barfield recognized methomyl's toxicity and impact on the environment but continued to feed poisoned baitfish to the dolphins for months,' the release stated.
Barfield's sick spree, which took place between December 2022 and the summer of 2023, began over frustration that dolphins were eating red snapper from his clients' fishing lines.
He shot at dolphins that surfaced near his vessel, immediately killing one.
'On other occasions, Barfield shot, but did not immediately kill, dolphins near his vessel,' the U.S. Attorney's office said.
'On one trip he shot a dolphin while two elementary-aged children were on board, and another with more than a dozen fisherman on board.'
Barfield fed an estimated '24–70 dolphins poison-laden baitfish' during six to seven charter trips that he captained, NOAA Fisheries said in a statement.
'Barfield was a longtime charter and commercial fishing captain,' said acting assistant attorney general Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.
'He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children,' Gustafson noted.
Barfield pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal taking of a marine mammal and one count of federally prohibited use of a pesticide, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
He was also ordered to pay a $51,000 fine for three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.
'The Gulf of America is a vital natural resource,' acting U.S. attorney Michelle Spaven said in a statement.
'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.'
Costco must face lawsuit over 'dolphin safe' tuna claim
Teen girl killed by shark while trying to swim with dolphins in Australia
Pod of Dolphins comfort each other before hunters move in for kill
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
19 hours ago
- Miami Herald
The 44 Percent: Tips for Black businesses and Trina at SeaWorld
Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department would be under federal control and deployed the National Guard to the city, claiming it was crime-ridden and needed to be under control. The decision caught D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser off guard, who admitted there isn't much they could do. 'While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can't say that, given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we're totally surprised,' Bowser said during a press conference. Some have said the decision to put more policing in a community already experiencing a downward trend in violent crime – the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia announced D.C.'s violent crime rate hit a 30-year low – is a reminder of the racist rhetoric projected onto Black communities, particularly those in urban areas. As Matt Brown with the Associated Press reported: 'The president foreshadowed that if these heavy-handed tactics take root here, they will be rolled out to other majority-Black and Brown cities, like Chicago, Oakland and Baltimore, across the country,' said Monica Hopkins, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's D.C. chapter. 'We've seen before how federal control of the D.C. National Guard and police can lead to abuse, intimidation and civil rights violations — from military helicopters swooping over peaceful racial justice protesters in 2020 to the unchecked conduct of federal officers who remain shielded from full accountability,' Hopkins said. An examination of policing data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics by the Prison Policy Initiative shows Black people continue to experience racial disparities still with regard to arrests and use of force. So, suffice to say, there is imminent concern regarding the entry of the National Guard in Black communities. And while cities in Florida weren't named among Trump's list of places he's considering sending the National Guard (which coincidentally have Black mayors and large minority populations), it is worth wondering how long before Black communities in South Florida are even more of a target? 'Have to find a way:' Black leaders in Miami weigh defunded Overtown park's future An $82 million planned park in Overtown is out $60 million in federal funding after the Trump administration sent a letter rescinding the funds. While that is a hefty shortfall, communities leaders are searching for ways to find the money so the project can come to the historically Black neighborhood that experienced displacement in the 1960s due to the interstate being built in its community. 'Get your back office together': 6 tips from the Herald's Black business event Minority Business reporter Michael Butler held an event this week offering tips for budding and current Black business owners. The event, which featured, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce president and CEO G. Eric Knowles, marketing professional Suzan McDowell and Italian Vice founder Aamir Taylor. They offered tips on ensuring your paperwork is in order and how to market your business. Read a few tips from Butler's event in case you couldn't make it. These Black Miami neighborhoods may become a city. How does that work? Black communities in unincorporated Miami-Dade have begun the very early stages of determining if they should become a city. As residents contemplate what that means for them, I wrote an explainer on what that process looks like. Danielle 'Dee' Spencer, child star of '70s sitcom 'What's Happening!!,' dies at 60 Danielle Spencer, didn't miss a beat playing the younger, sarcastic and witty younger sister Deadra 'Dee' Thomas. But her personal story is one of perseverance: While a regular on the show, Spencer was in a severe car crash that killed her stepfather and left her in a coma for weeks. Spencer would eventually recover through physical therapy, and attended college while working on the show's spinoff 'What's Happening Now!!' and eventually became a veterinarian. She died Monday at 60 years young. We've seen the viral videos of Trina performing at SeaWorld. Our next thoughts were if it's going up like that, we need to be there. Well, VIBE Magazine reporter DeMicia Inman went to see the Baddest B*tch ) perform at SeaWorld San Diego's Summer Series. As Inman reported: Once the gates opened, attendees rushed to get a seat that commanded the best view of the 46-year-old hip-hop veteran. A sign displayed at the entrance warned that while the show was open to all ages, 'please be advised that this performance may include adult language and themes.' Posted in bold, bright lettering so it is not missed, Trina shared that even she was slightly taken aback by the booking. You'll have to read the rest to see how it turned out. Where does 'The 44 Percent' name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter's title.
The Hill
a day ago
- The Hill
Live updates: Trump preps for Putin summit, touts efforts to ‘liberate' DC
The White House is preparing for its Friday summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which President Trump says will be the start of the peace process or Russia will face 'consequences.' Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday morning on Fox News that more sanctions were among the 'tools at his disposal.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London. The two discussed their expectations for the U.S-Russia meeting, as well as Trump's Wednesday call with European leaders, according to a Ukrainian readout of the meeting. The president's other focus this week is his federalization of the D.C. police force and deployment of National Guard in the district. On Truth Social on Wednesday night, he ripped into the city for its crime rate, saying it is higher than the mayor says it is. On Thursday morning, he promoted a U.S. Marshals Service social media post that touted its work overnight. On Thursday, Trump will sign a proclamation on Social Security, on the entitlement's 90th birthday. Catch up here:
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
How Number of Journalists Killed in Gaza War Compares to WW2, Vietnam, Iraq
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. This is the "deadliest period for journalists" in decades, a press advocacy group has said, after six journalists were killed in an Israeli attack on northern Gaza on Sunday. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a U.S.-based nonprofit, made its assessment based on figures from its database, which includes publicly available information dating back to 1992. Anas al-Sharif, a journalist for Al Jazeera, was killed along with another correspondent, Mohammed Qraiqea, and photographers Ibrahim Al Thaher and Mohamed Nofal in a drone attack on a journalists' tent outside the main gate of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Sunday, Al Jazeera said in a statement. A freelance cameraman, identified as Momen Aliwa, and a freelance journalist, Mohammed al-Khalidi, were also killed, the network said. The Israeli military confirmed it had targeted al-Sharif, saying that he was head of a Hamas terrorist cell and was involved in rocket attacks on Israel. "A press badge isn't a shield for terrorism," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Filipino activists light candles as they hold photos of Palestinian journalists who were killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza, during a protest in Quezon City, Philippines, on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. Filipino activists light candles as they hold photos of Palestinian journalists who were killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza, during a protest in Quezon City, Philippines, on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. AP Photo/Aaron Favila An Arabic-language spokesperson for the IDF had last month posted an image appearing to show al-Sharif alongside Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader killed by Israel in southern Gaza last October. The IDF had previously accused al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of working with Hamas. A Hamas official said of al-Sharif that they had "no knowledge of his affiliation with the movement or its military apparatus." Al-Sharif himself had denied he was a Hamas member shortly before his death. "The pattern of labeling journalists as terrorists before killing them, effectively granting themselves the authority to extinguish these journalists, has become a specialty of the Israel Defense Forces," Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, advocacy and communications director for the CPJ, told Newsweek. Israel has repeatedly denied targeting journalists and has said it "takes all operationally feasible measures to mitigate harm to civilians including journalists." "Remaining in an active combat zone has inherent risks," the IDF said. It is difficult to accurately determine how many journalists are killed in a conflict, even in recent years. Those tallying often make a distinction between civilian and military journalists, as well as media representatives who are killed in the line of duty versus those who are killed away from the front lines. Others do not include those working for state-controlled outlets such as the Russian TASS news agency or the Hamas-operated Al Aqsa TV. Figures for the number of journalists killed in conflict zones before the early 1990s are even harder to verify. The CPJ has publicly available information stretching back to 1992. The Belgium-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said it had compiled accurate lists of journalist deaths since roughly two years prior. Before this, counts of media representatives killed likely omitted local or less high-profile journalists not working for mainstream outlets, Anthony Bellanger, the IFJ's general secretary, told Newsweek. How Many Journalists Have Been Killed in Gaza? At least 192 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and in Lebanon since October 2023, the CPJ said in a press release updated on August 12 this year. The organization distinguishes between "journalists" (editorial personnel) and "media support workers" (such as drivers, fixers, translators, distribution staff). Its says its database does not include deaths in which "journalists are clearly not killed for their journalism." Nor does it include media support workers unless their death is confirmed as work-related. It is the deadliest period for journalists since its records began in 1992, the CPJ said. It said it is investigating another 130 potential cases of journalists being killed, arrested or injured, as well as media offices and homes being damaged. Of the 192 journalists killed in these areas in close to two years of fighting, 184 were Palestinian, according to the CPJ. Two were Israeli and six were Lebanese journalists. Israel does not allow international media to enter Gaza, with the exception of highly controlled trips stewarded by the IDF. "The abysmal situation faced by journalists in Gaza is an aberration in the field of conflict reporting," Guillén said. Nearly half of journalists killed in Gaza in 2024 were killed by drones, Guillén said, describing this as "a new and growing trend in conflict reporting." Roughly 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive nearly two years ago, press freedom groups say. Roughly 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive nearly two years ago, press freedom groups say. Newsweek Illustration/Canva/Getty/AP Newsroom Other groups broadly agreed with the CPJ's figures. "Nearly 200 journalists have been killed" in this phase of hostilities from late 2023, according to International News Safety Institute. This is "an unprecedented toll in modern conflict reporting," the NGO said in a statement. The IFJ and the Paris-headquartered Reporters sans frontières (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders, both told Newsweek they had similar figures. "Unlike other conflicts in the past, where journalists were respected and often even welcomed to document the conflict because there were few or no means of communication, today in Gaza, journalists are very often targeted by the Israeli army," Bellanger of the IFJ said. Of the approximately 200 media operatives killed in Gaza in 22 months of war, around 50 have been deliberately targeted, while many others were killed in strikes impacting civilians in the strip, rather than while reporting, Thibaut Bruttin, RSF's director general, told Newsweek. The Israeli military has said it "has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists." Protection for journalists is enshrined in international law. As civilians, intentionally targeting members of the press is a war crime. Here, Newsweek uses available data from those monitoring groups to compare the death toll in Gaza to previous conflicts. Iraq A U.S.-led coalition of forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, and U.S. combat operations officially ended in 2010. Most Western troops had pulled out of the country by the end of 2011. Across these years, 228 journalists were killed in Iraq, according to the CPJ. Between 100 and 150 journalists were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2006, Bellanger of the IFJ told Newsweek. The RSF's numbers put the number of journalists killed while reporting in Iraq at 242, making it the "the bloodiest war for journalists." "It was somewhat different, in the sense that journalists were really heavily targeted by the military forces," Bruttin said. This included terrorist groups that carried out strikes followed by attacks on the media and first responders arriving at the scene. In February 2007, RSF said it was "deeply concerned by repeated violations of journalists' rights in Iraq." At the time, at least 150 journalists and media workers had been killed in the country, it said. Afghanistan There are varying numbers on how many journalists were killed in Afghanistan. Following 9/11, the U.S. led efforts to remove the Taliban from power and set up a new government in Kabul, setting the stage for two decades of involvement in the country before the Taliban took back control in 2021. According to the CPJ, 76 international and local journalists and media workers were killed in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021. In 2018 alone, 16 journalists and two media workers were killed in the country, according to these figures. Other counts come in slightly higher. Between 2010 and 2021, 87 Afghan journalists were killed, according to the IFJ. At least six journalists were killed between the Taliban coming to power in Kabul in August 2021 and November of that year, according to the IFJ. Vietnam The communist regime in North Vietnam—backed by the Soviet Union and China—fought the government in South Vietnam, supported by the U.S., from 1955. The U.S. become directly militarily involved in 1965, until the capture of Saigon by North Vietnamese forces in 1975. RSF research indicates around 60 journalists were killed during the Vietnam War, Bruttin said. One count referenced by the Associated Press in 2006 put the total number of journalists killed or presumed dead during the war at 71. Between 70 and 80 journalists were killed in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975, Bellanger said. Korea The Korean War began in 1950, when North Korean forces invaded South Korea in an attempt to unify the peninsula under communist rule. The North Korean forces were backed by the Soviet Union and later China. South Korea was supported primarily by the U.S. under the auspices of the United Nations. The Korean War lasted three years and was brought to a close with the signing of an armistice agreement in 1953. Approximately ten journalists died, Bellanger said. World War II It is "extremely difficult" to produce a casualty count for journalists during World War II, Bruttin said. Far predating meticulous records, the war sprawled across the civilian populations of many nations. Due to the unavailability of equivalent information, comparing these figures to more recent conflicts such as the war in Gaza is close to impossible. A total of 69 reporters covering the Allied campaign died during World War II, according to a count compiled by Ray Moseley, a former war correspondent. This number includes journalists who died in accidents or from disease. Moseley said that it is not clear how many journalists from the Soviet Union were killed, but that 16 reporters from the state-controlled Red Star newspaper died between mid-1941 and the spring of 1944. The IFJ estimates that between 60 and 80 journalists were killed between 1939 and 1945, Bellanger said. Ukraine A total of 29 journalists and media workers have been killed in Ukraine since 2014, when Moscow seized control of the Crimean peninsula to the south of the mainland and backed separatists in the country's eastern Luhansk and Donetsk region, according to the CPJ. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. Nineteen journalists and media workers have been killed since then, CPJ figures show. The RSF estimates that 15 journalists have been killed in the conflict, Bruttin said. Ukrainian authorities have said 57 journalists have been killed in the country, but the RSF does not include those working for the military or communications operatives into its tally, Bruttin said. Unlike Israel in Gaza, Bruttin said, "other countries have been able to open up to the press — [to] maintain a sense of military censorship to prevent jeopardising their own military operation." "But it has not resulted in the killing of as many journalists as might have been expected or feared," he added. At the same time, Bruttin said, "we're globally seeing an increase in safety for journalists." This is driven by newsrooms putting their teams through more training on operating in conflict zones and equipping them properly, Bruttin said, but also by a feeling among military commanders and politicians that the media should be shielded. From roughly 1985, approximately 100 journalists were killed while carrying out their duties each year, Bruttin said. There was a "sharp decline" from 2018, down to just over half of this number by 2024, he added. "We are in an era where we have more military means to have precision strikes," the RSF chief said. "We have more safety within the newsrooms and more culture of safety," he added. For the last seven years, most of the journalists who have died were killed in non-conflict countries, like Mexico, Bruttin said. "Journalists were collateral victims of war, especially in World War Two and in the Vietnam War as well," Bruttin said. "Now they are targets. They are targeted and hit because they're journalists."
