Heli company loses million dollar choppers for role in illegal crayfish trips

A Queenstown helicopter company has been fined $12,000 and ordered to forfeit helicopters worth more than $2 million for illegally taking and selling crayfish.The Helicopter Line Ltd was sentenced on Tuesday for its role in a scheme to fly guests from luxury Queenstown hotel The Rees Hotel to remote Fiordland locations to watch a diver collect crayfish that could be cooked and served at the hotel for an extra cost.The experience - known as the 'Rees Ultimate Heli Crayfish Dining Experience' - cost punters between $4650 and $7750.Under the Fisheries Act, a commercial fishing permit is required to take any fish or seafood that will be sold."Any use of seafood as part of a business's commercial activities is considered sale under the Act," Fisheries New Zealand regional manager south Garreth Jay said.The court ordered two Airbus AS350 helicopters used in the offences - valued at more than $1 million each - be forfeited to the Crown.According to a summary of facts previously obtained under the Official Information Act, the hotel organised at least six heli-crayfishing trips in 2021 and 2022, despite being warned the experience breached the Fisheries Act.The Ministry for Primary Industries said the hotel failed to keep invoices, making it difficult to quantify the scale of the offending.A fisheries officer had directed the company in writing to stop offering the luxury sightseeing package as it was illegal to sell seafood without a commercial fishing permit.But during a subsequent routine inspection, officers located several crayfish at the hotel labelled "Heli crayfish".Last year, Rees Management Limited, which trades as The Rees Hotel, was fined $22,000.Contract diver David Casey was fined $3750 for his part in the offending earlier this year.Casey was paid $800 cash to collect the maximum recreational limit of six crayfish.Rees Management Limited chief executive Mark Rose was discharged without conviction, despite court documents showing Rose made a string of false claims to fisheries officers.