Fish fees<\/p>\n
Fresh fish prices are already on the rise and frozen will have to follow, as the fuel that powers fishing boats and freight gets more expensive.<\/p>\n
Diesel has nearly doubled in price in Australia and jet fuel has doubled in price globally, after Iran<\/a> responded to US attacks by blocking the strait of Hormuz, cutting off about a fifth of the world\u2019s supply of oil.<\/p>\n John Susman, owner of seafood consultancy Fishtales, says fishers are under pressure while wholesalers\u2019 freight costs from Melbourne to Sydney are up by about 45c a kilogram \u2013 a rise of about $1.30 per whole fish.<\/p>\n Fish and chips shops and their suppliers both operate on small profit margins, so any increase in price by any part of the supply chain will end up being passed on, he says. \u201cWe\u2019re going to see some fairly sharp increases.\u201d<\/p>\n Some have already moved, with the Sydney fish market imposing a levy of 81 cents a kilogram on its auction sales to offset fuel costs for commercial fishers.<\/p>\n Price hikes for frozen and imported fish, commonly used in fish and chips, have only been temporarily delayed as businesses sell down their stocks, while air freight prices for fish such as New Zealand hoki are set to rise after Easter, Susman says.<\/p>\n Penny Kyburz, owner of Sea Salt in Coffs Harbour, says she will have to raise prices for customers if costs don\u2019t come down. Sea Salt charges $20 for hoki with chips, or $22 for fish caught by local fishers, some of whom have paused their work as diesel costs double.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re choosing not to go because they can\u2019t afford it, therefore we\u2019re not getting the fresh supply we normally get,\u201d Kyburz says.<\/p>\n At the same time, Sea Salt\u2019s food suppliers have added an extra $4 fuel levy on each shipment, lifting weekly costs by $16.<\/p>\n The Easter long weekend would typically bring huge sales to fish and chips shops but Kyburz says consumers are already cutting back as personal petrol prices rise, which would only be amplified by menu price hikes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do price rises every year, just little ones, which go with the increases from our suppliers [but] we\u2019ll have to raise our prices again and we don\u2019t want to do that,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ll end up losing customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Those who can\u2019t hike their prices could have to shut down. Walker Seafoods, Australia\u2019s biggest wild-caught tuna and swordfish company, has said it will stop fishing<\/a> after its monthly fuel costs rose by over $100,000.<\/p>\n Chips aren\u2019t cheap<\/p>\n Potato chips are also set to get pricier.<\/p>\n Kosta Papageorgakis grows his own potatoes for his Port Noarlunga Fish and Chips shop, where he sells a piece of hake with chips for $14.50.<\/p>\n He has pencilled in a 10% increase in prices across the seafood and food businesses generally, which would see his customers paying an extra $1.50.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the way from the farm to the supermarket shelf, the consumer\u2019s going to pay,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Right now, potatoes are cheap and in season<\/a>, but surging costs will affect the next crop. Papageorgakis says his potato farm\u2019s fertiliser costs are up by $600 a tonne, while diesel for his trucks has run out after doubling in price.<\/p>\n The key fertiliser, urea, has risen in price by more than 50% in Australia since war broke out, according to Argus and GrainGrowers. About a third of the world\u2019s sea trade in fertiliser, including 10m tonnes of urea, has been blocked with the strait of Hormuz\u2019 closure<\/a>, the United Nations estimates.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to plant [the] amount like I normally would and see what happens,\u201d Papageorgakis says. \u201cIf I can\u2019t afford it, I just won\u2019t grow it.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Australian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2973.jpg\")
Australian PM says \u2018next few months may not be easy\u2019 in rare address to the nation \u2013 video<\/p>\n