A Florida fisherman shot a dolphin in front of children and began poisoning others because they were stealing his catch, a court heard.

Zackary Barfield, 31, laced baitfish with pesticide and shot at dolphins from his boat in front of “two elementary-aged children”, prosecutors said on Friday.

Barfield, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 30 days in prison and fined $51,000 for three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins, according to federal prosecutors.

The fisherman pleaded guilty to the charges in February and will remain on supervised release for a year following his stint behind bars.

Federal prosecutors said that Barfield fed dolphins methomyl, a pesticide used to control insects in farming that can interfere with the nervous systems of mammals and humans.

“He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children,” said Adam Gustafson, a lawyer for the department of justice’s environment and natural resource division.

Barfield used shotgun

An investigation was launched into Barfield following reports that a Florida fisherman had been killing bottlenose dolphins between 2022 and 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement.

Barfield used a 12-gauge Remington Wingmaster shotgun to shoot at least five dolphins, killing one, according to prosecutors.