Latest news with #ZackeryBarfield
Yahoo
5 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.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Florida charter boat captain sentenced for poisoning, shooting dolphins
A charter boat captain from Panama City has been sentenced for poisoning and shooting dolphins. The U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of Florida says Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, was sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment and must pay a $51,000 fine. This is for Barfield's three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Prosecutors say Barfield got frustrated with dolphins eating red snapper from the lines of his charter fishing clients, so he placed a toxic pesticide inside baitfish to poison them. That toxin was methomyl, which is restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency to control flies in nonresidential settings. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Florida fishing captain sentenced to 30 days, fined $51K for poisoning, shooting dolphins
The Brief Zackery Barfield, a fishing captain from Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $51,000 for poisoning and shooting dolphins. He used toxic bait to kill dolphins that were eating fish caught by his clients. He also shot at dolphins during fishing trips, killing at least one, even with children present on the boat. PANAMA CITY, Fla. - A Florida fishing captain was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $51,000 for poisoning and shooting dolphins – which is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, authorities said. What we know According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 31-year-old Zackery Brandon Barfield had worked most of his adult life as a licensed charter and commercial fishing captain in the Panama City area. From 2022 to 2023, court records show Barfield repeatedly poisoned and shot bottlenose dolphins. Why? Authorities say that in the summer of 2022, he grew frustrated with dolphins eating red snapper from his clients' fishing lines. In response, he began stuffing baitfish with methomyl—a highly toxic poison that harms the nervous systems of people, animals, and other wildlife—and used them to target dolphins near his boat. Officials say he continued this for several months. Between December 2022 and the summer of 2023, Barfield also used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot at dolphins, killing at least one—even while children were on board during one of the trips. What they're saying Paige Casey, the Acting Assistant Director, NOAA OLE Southeast Division, said the dolphin deaths might not have been solved without the hard work of their investigator and strong teamwork with other law enforcement agencies. "The subject's actions were intentional and heartless, and we'll continue to pursue any harmful acts against marine mammals," Casey said. "Egregious crimes such as in this case have serious consequences." "He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children," Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) said in a statement. "This sentence demonstrates our commitment to enforcing the rule of law. It should deter others from engaging in such conduct." What you can do Those who are aware of a violation of federal marine resource laws or federal pesticide laws are urged to contact NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964 or EPA's National Response Center at (800) 424-8802. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida on May 23, 2025.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Cruel and unnecessary deaths': Man sentenced for poisoning, shooting dolphins
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJW) — A longtime commercial fisherman in Florida faces prison time and a hefty fine after shooting and poisoning dolphins on multiple occasions, including one incident that took place in front of children. Officers return fire, take cover in shooting near University of Akron According to a May 23 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, 31-year-old Zackery Barfield's actions, described by authorities as 'intentional and heartless,' violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. In the summer of 2022, after growing frustrated with the dolphins eating red snapper from the lines of his charter fishing clients, Barfield began placing methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide, inside baitfish, the release states. 'Barfield recognized methomyl's toxicity and impact on the environment but continued to feed poisoned baitfish to the dolphins for months,' the release said. Additionally, while captaining fishing trips in the winter of 2022 and the summer of 2023, Barfield shot dolphins eating bait from his clients' fishing lines. 'On both occasions, he used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot the dolphins that surfaced near his vessel, killing one immediately. On other occasions, Barfield shot, but did not immediately kill, dolphins near his vessel,' according to the release. One incident took place in front of elementary-aged children, and another in front of more than a dozen fisherman. Barfield was sentenced to 30 days in prison and ordered to pay a $51,000 fine for the 'cruel and unnecessary deaths.' His prison sentence will be followed by a 1-year term of supervised release. YIKES! Ohio insects so close — your eyes will bug! 'He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children,' Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division is quoted in the news release. 'This sentence demonstrates our commitment to enforcing the rule of law. It should deter others from engaging in such conduct.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
