Hold Dolphin Killers Accountable Before More Are Harmed

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Sponsor: Free The Ocean

A Florida man shot and poisoned dolphins in front of children—and got just 30 days. Protected wildlife deserves real protection.

Hold Dolphin Killers Accountable Before More Are Harmed

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.

More on this issue:

  1. Dennis Romero, NBC News (24 May 2025), "Florida man who shot and poisoned dolphins sentenced to 1 month."
  2. Clare Fisher, People (26 May 2025), "Florida Fisherman Who ‘Cruelly’ Shot and Poisoned Dolphins in Front of Elementary Kids."
  3. Aurielle Eady, FOX 35 Orlando (26 May 2025), "Florida fishing captain sentenced to 30 days, fined $51K for poisoning, shooting dolphins."
  4. Julia Marnin, Tampa Bay Times (27 May 2025), "Florida fisherman frustrated with dolphins shot and poisoned them, feds say."
  5. Scott Sutton, ABC7 (26 May 2025), "Florida charter boat captain sentenced to prison, $51,000 fine for shooting and poisoning dolphins."

The Petition

To the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Florida Department of Justice, and Director of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement,

We, the undersigned, call for immediate action to seek stricter penalties for Zackery Brandon Barfield, the Florida charter captain who admitted to the horrific and deliberate killing of protected bottlenose dolphins.

Barfield poisoned baitfish with a deadly pesticide and used a shotgun to shoot dolphins during charter fishing trips—acts carried out in front of elementary school-age children and groups of fishermen. These actions led to the brutal deaths of multiple dolphins, a species federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Despite the severity of his crimes, Barfield received only a 30-day jail sentence and a $51,000 fine.

This punishment is woefully inadequate.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act exists to safeguard intelligent, social marine animals like dolphins from harm. When enforcement fails to deliver meaningful consequences, it weakens public trust and invites future violations. A one-month sentence for the killing of federally protected marine mammals sends the wrong message: that cruelty toward wildlife will be met with a slap on the wrist.

We respectfully urge your offices to:

  • Seek a review of Barfield’s sentence and pursue additional legal avenues for stronger accountability.
  • Ensure future violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act carry serious criminal penalties that reflect the gravity of the offense.
  • Close sentencing loopholes that allow perpetrators of violent animal abuse to avoid meaningful jail time.

The ocean’s health depends on our willingness to defend the lives within it. Dolphins play a critical role in marine ecosystems and are known for their intelligence, emotional complexity, and social bonds. Acts of violence against them are not only ecologically destructive—they are morally indefensible.

This is about more than punishing one man. It’s about affirming our responsibility to protect marine life from cruelty, enforcing the laws we already have, and sending a clear, uncompromising message: wildlife crimes will not go unpunished.

Demanding accountability now will help create a future where ocean ecosystems are protected, justice is upheld, and all creatures—human and animal—are treated with the dignity they deserve.

Sincerely,