29 September 2026, NZ: A Queenstown helicopter company has been fined $12,000 for illegally taking and selling recreationally caught crayfish to hotel guests.
This was the final step in a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary industries (MPI) that has seen the Rees Hotel fined $22,000 and diver David Brian Casey (35) fined $3,750 for their parts in the offending.
Following a guilty plea in the Queenstown District Court, the Helicopter Line Limited was today sentenced on 4 charges under the Fisheries Act.
The court also ordered that 2 Airbus AS350 Helicopters used in the commission of the fisheries offences by the Helicopter Line – valued at over $1millon each – to be forfeit to the Crown. Any person claiming an interest in the forfeit property may apply to the court for relief from forfeiture within 35 working days.
The Helicopter Line was offering a premium tourism experience known as the “Rees Ultimate Heli Crayfish Dining Experience”, where paying guests were flown by helicopter to remote locations in Fiordland to observe crayfish being collected by a diver. The crayfish were then later served as part of their dining experience at the Rees Hotel. The full experience was sold to guests of the Rees Hotel at a price ranging upwards of $4,650.
“Under the Fisheries Act, a commercial fishing permit is required to take any fish for the purpose of sale,” says Fisheries New Zealand regional manager south Garreth Jay.
“Any use of seafood as part of a business’ commercial activities is considered sale under the Act.”
A fishery officer previously directed the company in writing to cease offering a premium adventure sightseeing package involving the taking and sale of crayfish as it is illegal to sell seafood without a commercial fishing permit or unless the seafood was acquired from a legitimate source.
During a routine subsequent inspection, fishery officers located several crayfish at the Rees 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,” says Mr Jay.
Paying or receiving payment to catch fish recreationally and then have it possessed and sold commercially in a restaurant, constitutes serious offending against fisheries legislation.
The Rees Hotel was prosecuted and fined $22,000 in July last year for its role in the fisheries offending.
In August, Mr Casey, a contracted diver, was sentenced on one representative charge under the Fisheries Act and fined $3,750 for his part in the offending.
As part of the tourism experience, Mr Casey, would take a recreational limit of crayfish and was paid $800 in cash per trip.
“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,” says Mr Jay.
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