BEIJING - The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) told Xinhua Saturday that China's gross oceanic product was worth 3.8 trillion yuan ($577.89 billion).

The figure accounted for 9.7 percent of the nation's total gross domestic product in 2010 and 16 percent of the GDP in coastal areas.

China's gross oceanic product surged from 1.77 trillion yuan in 2005 to 3.8 trillion yuan last year, an annual increase of 13.5 percent, said the SOA.

In the past five years, the oceanic industry provided 33 million jobs to people in the coastal areas.