Million-dollar choppers forfeit as illegal crayfish ring for luxury Queenstown hotel plummets to earth
A Queenstown helicopter company has been ordered to forfeit two helicopters and pay fines for conducting illegal heli-crayfish excursions. The company offered luxury dining experiences that involved catching crayfish without a commercial permit.
Why it matters
This case highlights the strict enforcement of environmental and commercial fishing regulations in New Zealand's tourism sector.
A Queenstown helicopter company which was warned to stop illegal heli-crayfish excursions for a luxury hotel has been ordered to forfeit two $1 million choppers. The Helicopter Line (THL) has also been fined $12,000 for illegally taking and selling recreationally caught crayfish to hotel guests. The luxury Rees hotel has previously been fined $22,000 and Invercargill diver David Brian Casey (35) fined $3,750 for their parts in the offending. THL was today sentenced on four charges under the Fisheries Act following a guilty plea in the Queenstown District Court, the Ministry for Primary Industries said. The court also ordered that two Airbus AS350 helicopters used for the offending by the company – valued at over $1 million each – to be forfeit to the Crown.
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