Forty-seven retail samples of fish (28 species) were tested for levels of free histidine, histamine and aerobic plate counts. Five samples had elevated levels (≥ 20 mg/100 g) of histamine and all had < 100 mg/100 g. Three species had free histidine levels of more than 1000 mg/100 g and these have been implicated in scombroid poisoning in New Zealand. One species with high histidine levels, kahawai (Arripis trutta), was chosen to determine the conditions under which potentially hazardous levels of histamine might develop. Two trials were carried out in which kahawai were stored under 17 regimes at temperatures between 0 and 35°C. For 10 of these treatments the fish were transferred from elevated storage temperatures to refrigerated storage during the trials. Levels of histidine and histamine, aerobic plate counts at 20°C and 35°C and sensory quality were monitored. The levels of free histidine in kahawai varied with season, and in Trial 2 there was a net loss of histidine + histamine during storage. Bleeding kahawai did not significantly affect the levels of histidine. Histamine levels varied neatly in fish held under identical conditions. Fish held at ambient temperatures developed the highest levels of histamine. Elevated histamine levels (> 20 mg/100 g) were first recorded in fish stored for 0.9, 0.9, 1, 2, 2.7, and 8-days at 35, 30, 25, 20, 15 and 10°C respectively. Storage at 5°C after storage at higher temperatures did not result in elevated levels. Of the 59 samples with elevated histamine levels, 9 had acceptable sensory characteristics while all had aerobic plate counts exceeding 10⁶ colony-forming units/g. Aerobic plate counts at 20°C are recommended over those at 35°C. It is concluded that fresh kahawai will only present a hazard from scombroid poisoning under conditions of extreme temperature abuse and that the presence of high numbers of bacteria is a good indicator of the hazard while sensory quality is not.