An ill crew member has been winched off a fishing vessel off the coast of Westport.

The Nelson Marlborough Rescue helicopter lowered an intensive care paramedic onto the Don Wong this afternoon, in swells of about three metres.

After initial treatment the paramedic and crew member were safely winched back onto the chopper and flown to Westport Airfield.

The patient was stabilised before being flown to Nelson Hospital's Emergency Department.