Panama City charter fishing captain fined and sent to prison for killing dolphins in the Gulf

A commercial fisherman from Panama City has been sentenced to 30 days in a federal prison and ordered to pay a $51,000 fine for killing dolphins.

Prosecutors with the Northern District of the Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office say 31-year-old Zackery Brandon Barfield of Panama City violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. He was convicted on three counts following the killing of dolphins in the Gulf.

“The Gulf of America is a vital natural resource,” said Acting U. S. Attorney for the North Florida District Michelle Spaven. “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. With our dedicated law enforcement partners, we will ensure that the coastal waters remain safe for our citizens and its wildlife.”

Prosecutors say Barfield, a licensed charter boat and commercial fishing captain for his adult life in the Panama City area poisoned and shot bottlenose dolphins several times. The incidents happened between 2022 and 2023.

According to investigators, Barfield became frustrated when the dolphins ate red snapper fish from the fishing lines of some of his clients he took into the Gulf on fishing excursions. In the December of 2022 and again in the Summer of 2023, Barfield used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot dolphins that came near his vessel. In one incident, a dolphin was killed immediately. On other occasions, the dolphin were not immediately killed. There were elementary-school-aged children on board his vessel during one of the incidents and another episode had about a dozen fishermen on board who witnessed the shootings.

“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 (ENRD). “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.”

Federal officials say the case involved serious investigations from multiple agencies.

“These cruel and unnecessary deaths may have gone unsolved without the determination and expertise of our investigator and the close working relationship we have with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida,” said Paige Casey, Acting Assistant Director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement Southeast Division. “The subject’s actions were intentional and heartless, and we’ll continue to pursue any harmful acts against marine mammals. Egregious crimes such as in this case have serious consequences.”