Porae
While porae are not the most sought-after fish, they have a white, moist flesh that has good Omega 3 levels and is suited to most cooking methods. They are closely related to tarakihi and moki.
Porae like the warmer climes and are generally found from the Bay of Plenty northwards. They are more prolific on the east coast than the west. Porae feed along weed lines and over foul ground close to sandy bottoms, where they forage for food down to 60 metres or so.
Their main diet is crabs and other invertebrates. They are an inquisitive fish. A common practice among spear fishers is to grab a handful of sand off the bottom before heading for the surface for another breath. On diving back down again they will quite often encounter a porae fossicking in the scoop mark looking for its dinner.
For the sport fisher they are a worthy opponent: they grow to quite a good size and more than one angler, seeing them coming up on the end of their line, initially thinks he has caught a good snapper.
Porae are filleted in the same way you would a snapper, although the flesh is not quite as white or firm.