Florida Fisherman Who ‘Cruelly’ Shot and Poisoned Dolphins in Front of Elementary Kids Is Jailed and Given $51,000 Fine

A Florida fisherman has been sentenced to one month in prison and ordered to pay a $51,000 fine after shooting dolphins attracted to baited fishing lines cast from boats he operated, according to authorities.

Per a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, grew “frustrated with dolphins eating red snapper from the lines of his charter fishing clients.” Taking matters into his own hands, he “began placing [highly toxic] methomyl inside baitfish to poison the dolphins that surfaced near his boat.”

According to the statement, which noted that the crimes took place in 2022 and 2023, he also used a “12-gauge shotgun to shoot the dolphins” on several occasions, including once when elementary school students were traveling in his vessel and another occasion when he had “more than a dozen” fellow fishermen on board.

Acting United States Attorney Michelle Spaven called Barfield’s acts “selfish” and “cruel” in her statement. She added that they were “serious crimes against public resources, threats to the local ecosystem, and a devastating harm to a highly intelligent and charismatic species.”

“Barfield was a longtime charter and commercial fishing captain. He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children,” Spaven noted. 

“Barfield fed an estimated 24–70 dolphins poison-laden baitfish on charter trips that he captained,” NOAA Fisheries said, according to NBC News. The organization launched an investigation into Barfield in 2023 after one of its law enforcement agents received a tip that he was killing dolphins, per the outlet. 

NOAA Fisheries said the defendant told law enforcement he was “frustrated with dolphins ‘stealing’ his catch,” NBC reported. 

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Paige Casey, Acting Assistant Director, NOAA OLE Southeast Division said in a separate statement, “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.” She also called Barfield’s behavior “intentional and heartless.”

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According to court documents, Barfield pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal taking of a marine mammal and one count of federally prohibited use of a pesticide, NBC News notes.

As well as his fine, Barfield’s prison sentence will be followed by a one-year term of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Barfield’s attorney in the case and NOAA Fisheries did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.