The funding will help regional authorities develop zones for development, or Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs), in their regions.
This follows the Aquaculture Law Reform brought into place in January 2005 to give more control to regional communities to decide on aquaculture sites.
$2 million will be available on a contestable basis to partner councils.
$900,000 will "help implement priority projects identified in Northland, Auckland and Waikato, improve the use of existing aquaculture space through research and innovation, increase Maori involvement in aquaculture planning, and establish regional partnerships," according to Minister for the Environment David Benson-Pope.
Source: National Business Review