A Queenstown helicopter company has been fined $12,000 for illegally taking and selling recreationally caught crayfish as part of a luxury tourism package for hotel guests.
According to a report by 1News, Helicopter Line Limited pleaded guilty to four charges of taking crayfish without a permit under the Fisheries Act and was sentenced in the Queenstown District Court on Tuesday. Each charge resulted in a $3000 fine.
The court also ordered two Airbus AS350 helicopters used in the offences to be forfeited to the Crown. The helicopters are each valued at more than $1 million.
Fisheries New Zealand said anyone claiming an interest in the forfeited helicopters can apply to the court for relief from forfeiture within 35 working days, 1News has reported.
Helicopter Line said it admitted to four strict-liability charges relating to taking crayfish without a permit in 2022.
"The offence arose from an inadvertent compliance misstep following misinterpretation of advice sought and received from MPI. The experience in question was then discontinued. THL has since reviewed and strengthened its compliance systems to prevent any recurrence," THL director Mark Quickfall said, as quoted by 1News.
The company said it had also applied for relief from forfeiture of the two helicopters, with the matter to form part of a redemption package.
Luxury crayfish experience
The case centred on The Rees Ultimate Heli Crayfish Dining Experience, a premium package offered by The Rees Hotel.
The experience included a helicopter flight over the Southern Alps to a remote West Coast beach, where a driver collected live crayfish. The catch was then flown back to the hotel and prepared for guests, as reported by 1News.
The experience cost between $4650 and $7750 for the full day.
Under the Fisheries Act, a commercial fishing licence is required to take fish for sale.
The sentencing of Helicopter Line was the final stage of a prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries, as reported by 1News.
The Rees Management Limited, which operates The Rees Hotel, was fined $22,000 in July last year after being found to have illegally sold recreationally caught crayfish and failed to maintain the required records.
Diver David Brian Casey was also fined $3750 in August after pleading guilty to a representative Fisheries Act charge. He had taken six crayfish, the recreational limit, and was paid $800 in cash for each trip, 1News has reported.
Fisheries New Zealand regional manager south Garreth Jay said a Fishery Officer had previously instructed the company in writing to stop offering the premium sightseeing package because it was illegal to sell seafood without a commercial fishing permit or without obtaining it from a legitimate source.
During a later routine inspection, officers found several crayfish at the hotel labelled "Heli crayfish".
“Our investigation confirmed that despite being formally advised that recreationally caught crayfish could not be sold or used as part of its commercial activity, the Helicopter Line continued operating the experiences, which breached Fisheries legislation,” Jay said, as quoted by 1News.
He said paying or receiving money to catch fish recreationally before having the catch commercially possessed and sold in a restaurant amounted to serious offending.
"When we find evidence of illegal fishing that threatens the sustainability of our shared fisheries, and undermines the interests of legitimate operators and fishers, we will hold those people or entities engaging in illegal activity to account, and there are consequences, as we’ve seen before the court today," Jay said, 1News has quoted.
Anyone with information about suspected illegal fishing or poaching can contact the Ministry for Primary Industries on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224).
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