The report finds that aquaculture contributes $31M in GDP to the Waikato regional economy and employs about 430 full time staff across the region. The Coromandel is currently producing 31,000 tonnes of mussels and 400 tonnes of oysters annually and with the recent announcement by the Government of a new 300 hectare aquaculture zone in the Hauraki Gulf, which also includes new finfish farming opportunities, aquaculture production is set to increase significantly over the coming years with the flow on effect of creating more jobs and more economic growth for the district. By 2025 the report forecasts that the mussel and oyster industry will contribute more than $60M in GDP to the regional economy and create an extra 354 jobs, and the new finfish industry is projected to bring in an additional $34 million in GDP to the local economy.