Microbial bioremediation of aquaculture effluents

Aquaculture generates effluents with higher amounts of organic matter and nutrients that can be bioprocessed by the receiving ecosystem, leading to eutrophication. Bioremediation has been proposed as a strategy to alleviate the negative effect of these effluents. Organisms, including mollusks, plants, and others, have been tested as bioremediators of aquaculture effluents; however, using microbes has demonstrated successful bioremediating water pollution with petroleum and other contaminants. In this regard, the use of microbes has not been as extensive in aquaculture. This chapter aims to address some of the basic microbial bioremediation principles applied to aquaculture effluents and discuss state of the art using microbes (bacteria and microalgae) for such purposes.