In this way, some of the externalities of fed monoculture are internalized by extractive co-cultures, thus increasing the overall sustainability, profitability and resilience of aquaculture farms. The economic values of the environmental/societal services of extractive species should, therefore, be recognized and accounted for in the evaluation of the true value of the IMTA components. It is particularly important to recognize that once nutrients have entered coastal ecosystems, there are not many removal options available: the use of extractive species being one of the few realistic and cost-effective options. To improve the sustainability of anthropogenic nutrient loading practices such as aquaculture, incentives such as Nutrient Trading Credits (NTC) should be established as a means to promote nutrient load reduction or nutrient recovery.