Latest news with #SeaWorld
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
This Charter Captain Shot Dolphins with School Kids Onboard. Now He's Going to Jail
Most people rank dolphins right up there with puppies and baby chimps in terms of lovable animals. They're cute, playful, and highly intelligent, so I get odd looks when I tell folks I've never been a huge fan of 'Flipper.' I'll watch dolphins jump through rings at SeaWorld with my kids all day, but if you spend a lot of time fishing in saltwater, you'll learn that their impressive IQ can make them a nuisance to anglers. Dolphins will surround the school of bait you're on and drive away the tuna or stripers you were catching. They can be so adept at taking hooked fish off your line that you'll never get a catch to the boat. I've experienced this several times, including in the Amazon with pink freshwater dolphins. They were so aggressive that you genuinely felt bad hooking another peacock bass because doing so was a death sentence for the fish 95 percent of the time. Bigger predators screwing up your fishing, however, is just part of the game from time to time. And freshwater anglers aren't immune. Pike and muskies routinely snatch bass and perch off the line. Snapping turtles get to your cut bait before the fish. In just about every stitch of saltwater that touches the U.S. — especially Florida — having a shark wallop a grouper or snapper as you're reeling it in is incredibly common. Losing fish to sharks happens so often, in fact, that it's referred to as 'paying the taxman.' Head up to New England and seals might swarm your boat to attack every porgy, seabass, or bluefish you're trying to put in the cooler. Fish the bayous of the Mississippi Delta and a gator might grab your redfish. We get frustrated or moan and groan about it at the bar, but the average angler just lives with these occasional problems. Of course, sometimes people get so frustrated over losing fish they take things too far, which was recently the case in Florida. Though I've heard stories about charter captains going medieval on protected sharks and getting in trouble for it, I've never heard something as egregious as the violation that led Captain Zackery Barfield to jail time and a fine north of $50,000. Barfield plead guilty to three counts of killing bottlenose dolphins, according to USA Today. Bottlenose dolphins are highly protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (as every saltwater angler should know). The incidents occurred between 2022 and 2023, but he was just recently sentenced to 30 days in jail plus a $51,000 fine, followed by a one-year term of supervised release. Barfield claims to have gotten frustrated by dolphins taking red snapper off his clients' lines during the short recreational season in the Gulf of Mexico. As a countermeasure, he began lacing baitfish with methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide harmful to humans and wildlife, and feeding them to the dolphins around his boat. Beyond violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, using this poison also violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which accounted for the heftier sentence. Methomyl is restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency and is only supposed to be used in non-residential settings to control flies, though Barfield fed the poisoned baits to an estimated 24 to 70 dolphins over the course of several months. If that wasn't bad enough, Barfield also used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot dolphins that were after clients' fish, including during one trip with elementary school-aged children onboard. It was confirmed that Barfield killed at least one dolphin with a shotgun between December 2022 and summer 2023, though he shot at least five more that did not immediately die near the boat. Beyond the atrocious act of killing protected marine mammals, carrying a bucket of poison and firing a shotgun on a boat full of customers shows a complete lack of disregard for safety. And, of course, doing all these things in the presence of clients just shows a complete lack of rational thought. I can't imagine Barfield was surprised that he got caught, because, according to the story, special agents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had been investigating him for two years following a tip that he was killing dolphins. The article doesn't specify where the tip came from, but I wouldn't be shocked to learn it was from a charter customer. If I'd witnessed behavior like this, I'd have made that call, too. It's also ridiculous to think that these actions would really do anything to quell the dolphin problem in the grand scheme of things. In the end, this story begs the question: How much is a fish worth? My answer is that there is no fish on the planet worth risking your safety or the safety of others or facing jail time, fines, and irreparable damage to your reputation. Read Next: Great White Shark Tales from Cape Cod's Charter Boat Captains Though I can understand Barfield's frustration, captains have no more control over the behavior of the dolphins than they do the weather or a lack of a bite, which clients need to understand. You either deal it and sacrifice some fish, or you move and hope the dolphins don't follow you. The bottom line is that we're all stewards on the water and the critters who live there, which extends far beyond how we treat the fish we're trying to catch.
Al Etihad
3 days ago
- Science
- Al Etihad
UAE's dugong ambassador participates in vital marine research at SeaWorld
28 May 2025 23:42 AYSHA SHAAYA (ABU DHABI)On May 28, World Dugong Day, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi shone the spotlight on Malquot, a gentle but curious male dugong and an ambassador of his alone and in poor health in the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve in 2019 when he was just a week old and with no mother in sight, he was rescued and brought into the care of specialists; he was given the name Malquot, meaning "one who was lost and then found."Six years later, the marine mammal is in a healthy condition, thriving under the expert supervision and support received at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi."One of the main drivers for us to do the Abu Dhabi Ocean Realm here at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi was to highlight him and build a habitat that represented his natural environment so he could thrive," explained Rob Yordi, General Curator at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and the Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue now resides in the Abu Dhabi Ocean Realm at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, a habitat designed to mirror the warm, shallow waters of Abu Dhabi, which is home to the second largest concentration of dugongs in the world, with around 3000 dugongs in the enjoys the companionship of other sea creatures and is delighted by the many faces of visitors who come to greet him and share the unique experience of feeding one of a few dugongs in human care globally, Malquot has "volunteered" to be part of a groundbreaking research in partnership with the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD)."All of our animals in SeaWorld, we consider that they have choice and control. So, we always ask him if he would like to participate in his own research to study him. He's smart and intuitive. He loves his training sessions and always challenges his trainers," added contribution to the research could help ensure the future of his species, as dugongs face threats in the wild, from degradation and marine traffic to entanglement in the nets of the fishers. James Cook University of Australia is participating in a research programme, in collaboration with SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, in a bid to understand the creature's behaviour, habits and needs, and Malquot is only too ready and willing to join the team for this new study.
Time Out Abu Dhabi
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out Abu Dhabi
Get closer than ever to marine life in a submersible at SeaWorld® Yas Island
Looking for an exclusive experience with the whole family? Well, look no further than SeaWorld's SeaSub. Launching just in time with summer fast approaching, SeaSub is the world's first submersible experience inside an aquarium. At none other than SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, which is home to over 100 animal experiences. No, you don't need a diving licence, flippers, or the ability to hold your breath. The underwater expedition gets you closer to marine life than ever before, all without damp socks or fogged-up goggles. Once inside the submersible, you'll descend into the Endless Ocean, the region's largest multi-species marine life aquarium. You'll be diving beneath the surface, cruising alongside rays, sharks, and different fish species. Designed for both education and entertainment, the experience is perfect for curious kids and adults, though kids need to be at least eight years old to join and must be accompanied by an adult. Each SeaSub trip accommodates up to four guests, so whether you're heading in with the family or turning it into a memorable moment with your besties, there's room to take it all in comfortably. Before your descent, you'll have a full safety briefing, and a SeaWorld pilot will guide you throughout, so you can relax, enjoy the ride, and capture epic underwater moments. Book your experience now:
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Chopper crash inquest to look at pilot's cocaine use
A pilot's cocaine use before a mid-air helicopter collision will come under scrutiny as part of an inquest into the fatal crash, a coroner has been told. Four people died when two Sea World helicopters collided above the Gold Coast Broadwater in January 2023 during the busy summer holiday season. A litany of factors led to the crash, including limited visibility, failed radio transmissions and a lack of safety protocols, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report revealed in April. A pre-inquest hearing in Brisbane on Monday was told the safety bureau report had provided scope for the helicopter crash inquest to be held at a later date. Pilot Ashley Jenkinson 40, Ronald and Diane Hughes, 65 and 67, and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, died in the crash while nine others were injured in the catastrophic collision more than two years ago. The pilot's drug use before the crash would be one of 11 issues to come under the microscope at the inquest, counsel assisting Ian Harvey said on Monday. "The ATSB report includes a finding that it was very likely that pilot Ashley Jenkinson used cocaine around one-and-a-half days prior to the accident," Mr Harvey told the court. "Their conclusion is that the pilot Ashley Jenkinson was unlikely to have been directly affected by the drug at the time of the accident. "The word 'directly' is of some significance." Other issues to be addressed at the inquest would include the high frequency of Sea World helicopter flights as well as the design and control of landing sites, he said. Adequacy of training, radio equipment serviceability and effectiveness along with Sea World's air communication systems would also be examined, the coroner heard. One of the outstanding issues the safety bureau found was an antenna failure in one helicopter's radio that existed for days. One of the pilots tried to make a call to alert the other helicopter that they were leaving but it was never delivered to the other aircraft due to the fault, the safety bureau report said. The inquest is expected to run over a 10-day period from a date yet to be set.
Daily Record
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix fans have just days left to see 'must watch' documentary that changed everything
Centred around the captivity of Tilikum, an orca that was blamed for the deaths of three humans, Blackfish speaks to the consequences of keeping these wild creatures in captivity and features footage from some of the actual attacks. 'You won't forget Cowperthwaite's documentary, and you shouldn't,' says one critic of the 2013 documentary film, Blackfish. Having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2013, Blackfish was picked up by CNN Films and Magnolia Pictures for a wider release. So impactful was Gabriela Cowperthwaite's Blackfish, it was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. Slated to leave Netflix on 1 June, viewers only have a few days left to catch this cinematically gut-wrenching offering. Centred around the captivity of Tilikum, an orca that was blamed for the deaths of three humans, Blackfish speaks to the consequences of keeping these beautiful, wild creatures in captivity. Featuring footage from some of the actual attacks, the documentary also includes coverage from 1983 — the year Tilikum was captured off the coast of Iceland. Lending an insight into the orca's purported harassment by fellow captive orcas at Sealand, Blackfish sees Cowperthwaite arguing about the contribution of these incidents to Tilikum's fatal aggression. The documentary film also features footage of Tilikum's attacks on trainers and other orcas in captivity, as well as interviews from witnesses and SeaWorld trainers. Cowperthwaite began working on the film following the death of Tilikum's trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in February 2010. The incident sparked speculation that the orca had targeted Brancheau because she wore her hair in a ponytail. Cowperthwaite contended that this was mere conjecture and believed that "there had to be more to this story." The vice president for zoological operations at SeaWorld San Diego - Michael Scarpuzzi, said Blackfish had misused Brancheau's death and its gruesome details not to 'inform the public, but, rather regrettably, because of the desire to sensationalize." He said in a statement: "We have altered how we care for, display and train these extraordinary animals. We have changed the facilities, equipment and procedures at our killer whale habitats. The care and educational presentation of these animals at SeaWorld has been made safer than ever. Does Blackfish inform its viewers of that fact? No, it does not." Critic and audience reviews for the documentary were filled with praise, as people connected to the heartbreaking subject matter of Blackfish. One critic said: 'That Blackfish led SeaWorld to phase out both orca breeding and performances speaks to how we should view the film's legacy over ten years later.' Another one called it: 'An illuminating documentary not only about the cruel conditions that killer whales endure at theme parks such as SeaWorld, but the biology and psychology of the mysterious and majestic sea wolf.' While one review said: 'There are few movies that can change the way you see the world in 83 minutes. If Blackfish is seen by enough people, it has the power to affect attendance at SeaWorld,' another said: '[It] remains decidedly one-sided. But when that "side" is such a vital, convincing proponent for the greater protection and understanding of such evolved and majestic creatures, it can't help but win.' Audiences were blown away by Cowperthwaite's film, as one detailed review said: 'While walking through the St. Louis Zoo recently, my mind kept coming back to this wonderful documentary about the controversial captivity of killer whales used in theme parks, particularly Sea World. And looking into the eyes of the animals we passed, I found my heart breaking just a little. This film has forever altered my feelings about animal confinement for human enjoyment, and that's the mark of a powerful movie. 'The story of an orca named Tilikum, who ended up killing three people, including a whale trainer, is one I will never forget. And the interviews with witnesses and experts are not only informative but often heartrending. I'm an animal lover, not necessarily an animal LOVER, but this documentary gave me a new appreciation and even respect for the creatures around us and how humans often exploit them.' Another viewer said: 'I tear up every time I watch this, so gut-wrenching but so good. It makes me angry about the world and how humans exploit animals, but it also makes me happy to see the people who truly care. This is a MUST SEE!!' One audience review of the documentary bluntly said: 'Really, really, really f*cking disturbing and disgusting. So many moments where it was borderline too hard to watch, but it had to be seen so we could get the intended message and effect.'
