Mussel farming gets $40m lift

A marine farm zone introduced by Environment Waikato will lift the value of Coromandel mussel farming by $40 million.

The variation to the regional council's coastal plan will result in Wilsons Bay - 34km north of Thames on the peninsula's western coast - becoming an area of intensive aquaculture.

But outside the 1000ha set aside at Wilsons Bay, marine farming will be a prohibited activity apart from 540ha of existing marine farms scattered mainly in upper Coromandel.

The Coromandel Marine Farmers Association says the annual mussel production of Greenshell New Zealand is 18,000 tonnes, equating to a primary value of $20 million.

A report to the council says Wilsons Bay will produce a further 35,000 to 40,000 tonnes of mussels a year, with a primary value of a further $40 million within several years.

Growth of the aquaculture industry is set to take off when a two-year moratorium on new marine farm applications ends in March.

- NZPA