Queenstown helicopter company fined $12k for illegal crayfish sale

<p>A Queenstown helicopter company has been fined $12,000 for illegally taking and selling recreationally caught crayfish as part of a luxury tourism experience for hotel guests.</p> <p>Helicopter Line Limited was on Tuesday sentenced on four charges of taking crayfish without a permit under the Fisheries Act after pleading guilty in the Queenstown District Court.</p> <p>The court also ordered that two Airbus AS350 helicopters used in the commission of the fisheries offences by the Helicopter Line – valued at over $1 million each – to be forfeit to the Crown, Fisheries New Zealand said. Any person claiming an interest in the forfeit property may apply to the court for relief from forfeiture within 35 working days.</p> <p>In a statement, Helicopter Line Ltd told 1News it had admitted to four strict liability charges for taking crayfish without a permit in 2022.