Snapper overtakes blue cod as NZ's most expensive fish

File photo / Brett Phibbs

Fish fans forking out top dollar have made snapper the most expensive fresh fish, with prices for the Kiwi delicacy surging past blue cod.

Hoki was cheapest among the fish monitored in Statistics New Zealand's latest consumer price index survey.

"Overall, fish prices have risen 9.2 per cent in the past five years, but edged down a little last year," Statistics New Zealand prices manager Chris Pike said.

Trevally bucked the trend, going up in price 4 per cent to over $20 a kilo for the first time.

Mr Pike said snapper was available widely from Nelson north, but hard to find in Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill.

Mr Pike said blue cod cost on average $21 more per kilogram than red cod.

"Hoki's the best bet if people want fish on a budget, but red cod's the next cheapest and is less than half the price of blue cod."

Hoki cost an average of $13.29 a kilo in 2013, while red cod was $16.45 and blue cod $37.58.

Tauranga charter boat operator and fisherman Russ Hawkins said tarakihi numbers were down in local waters, possibly due to lower than normal water temperatures.

Mr Hawkins said some recreational fishermen were catching plenty of snapper, but others were getting "skunked" or coming back with nothing.

Mr Hawkins said although many Kiwis seemed fixated on snapper, there were "many other good eating fish" such as tarakihi which were cheaper.