“…One of the major problems associated with aquaculture prac tices is the release of several amounts of wastes with different detrimental environmental consequences: (1) sediment organic enrichment due to settlement of particulate organic matter from uneaten feed and excretion products (Haya et al, 2001;Cromey et al, 2002;Vezzulli et al, 2002Vezzulli et al, , 2003Maldonado et al, 2005;Corner et al, 2006;Cranford et al, 2009b;Carvalho et al, 2010); (2) eutrophication, increased turbidity of water column, and toxic blooms (Haya et al, 2001;Dalsgaard and Krause-Jensen, 2006;Sorokin et al, 2006); (3) changes in benthic flora and fauna with potential implications in trophic webs (Karakassis et al, 2000;Brooks et al, 2003;Macleod et al, 2004;Edgar et al, 2005;Vizzini et al, 2005;Carvalho et al, 2007aCarvalho et al, , 2007bHolmer and Frederiksen, 2007;Pérez et al, 2008;Rodríguez-Gallego et al, 2008;Carvalho et al, 2009); (4) chemical contamination of marine environment due to excessive use of feed additives (e.g., fish oils, pigments, and vitamins), veterinary medicines (e.g., antibiotics, vaccines, and anesthetics), construction mate rials, and disinfectants (e.g., paints and antifoulants) (Pillay, 2004;Cabello, 2006;Serpa and Duarte, 2008 and references therein); and (5) increased potential for occurrence of diseases (Haya et al, 2001). Initially, organic enrichment of the seabed may have positive consequences in benthic communities by providing increasing food resources (Tett, 2008).…”