Since The 1950s, worldwide demand for seafood has more than doubled and is not expected to level off soon. Many health benefits are attributed to eating seafood, and for a while it was considered an almost infinite resource. However, as a result of overfishing and reluctance on the part some fishermen to change their methods in order to support sustainable fish populations, many of the most sought-after species are becoming scarce or endangered.

New practices, such as offshore and closed inland fish farming systems, have developed, but many are inefficient and plagued with problems. One of the primary drawbacks to current inland, closed aquatic systems is the amount of water required, as well as the question of what to do with leftover manure, antibiotics, and other chemicals that are used or produced in the process.

While new technology is supplying some answers for closed inland systems (see "Fish farms clean up," The Christian Science Monitor, February 21, 2010), these unhealthful conditions are exacerbated in "net pen," or open offshore farms, where runoff can pollute surrounding waters, killing wild fish and destroying bottom life. Disease and parasites are also a concern, as they may spread to the wild population. As challenging as the problems may appear to be, we can gain a spiritual perspective that helps support responsible, sustainable aquaculture and also protect the wild populations.

FOR POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Christian Science, founded by Mary Baker Eddy, presents a spiritual view of the environment and all of God's creation. Instead of despairing at reports of polluted and declining waters, with fish, other aquatic species, and humanity all striving to survive, it presents creation as the Bible describes it, an association of harmoniously existing ideas of divine Life, infinitely expressed in God's lovingly made and totally spiritual environment (see Gen., chap. 1). It also provides an understanding of divine law that makes it possible to change through prayer the conditions that seem so distressing.

In her textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mrs. Eddy wrote: "The creative Principle—Life, Truth, and Love—is God. The universe reflects God. There is but one consists and one creation. This creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are embraced in the infinite Mind and forever reflected" (pp. 502-503). When we accept this as the foundation for all environments— not just those for fish but even our home or office—our reasoning shifts dramatically. Instead of accepting unhealthful conditions as unsolvable problems, we begin to see the already-present purity of Spirit, right where the material condition seems to be. This outlook reveals solutions. By learning how to better apprehend the ever-present spiritual qualities of the divine environment, we find that fresh ideas come into focus and a proper change in the human condition occurs.

PROVING GOD'S PURE CREATION

The problem of what to do about diseases that begin fisheries and may spread to wild species is the subject of many studies. But just what is disease from a spiritual perspective? Mrs. Eddy explained it this way: "Science not only reveals the origin of all disease as mental, but it also declares that all disease is cured by divine Mind" (Science and Health, p. 169). Turning to the divine Mind reveals the ever-present oneness and purity of God's creation. This creation is our real home. As St. Paul put it in a speech to the men of Athens, it is in God that "we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

Having its true being in harmony, God's creation—including every living entity and its support system—naturally reflects the qualities of the creative Principle that produced it. Therefore, there can be no disease or discord within the harmony of the one Mind, which is never in conflict with itself.

This spiritual understanding is felt as we resist whatever tempts us into believing that our environment and sustenance come to us through a totally material system. Although our needs do seem to be met through material food and drink, the ultimate source of all good is in God, divine Love, who supplies every requirement of His creation.

Mind's purity ensures that there can be no contamination of right purpose; no loss of quality; no scarcity of any kind. Mind inspires those who are striving to improve the industry and remove contaminants, with insights that lead to solutions. Within the realm of Mind, disease has no place because all is pure, and this also eliminates any danger of contagion.

So, when there are reports of a disease outbreak, our calming and effective prayer can be to recognize that there can be no such condition in the purity and goodness of divine Mind, and no outcome that fails to result in good for all. By clarifying our own understanding that our true "stock," or identity, is spiritual, we begin to see less evidence of disease in ourselves and our environment, or mental atmosphere.

GOD'S UNIVERSAL GOODNESS

Anything that does not express the goodness of the universal cause, God, has no truth or basis for being. It is a mortal lie that can be corrected with clarified thought—the same enlightened thought that gave Jesus the power to heal the sick and raise the dead. His thoughts and motivation were pure: to bless humanity.

Jesus brought to the human scene a clarified perspective that resulted in consistent healing of even frightening environmental situations. And the same truths—discerned through the Christ, the spiritual sense of our true nature as God's ideas—that gave Jesus the ability to see through the mortal view to God's purpose are available to us all.

In other words, right where a polluted body of water or contaminated food source may appear, prayer can reveal the spiritual reality of its purity and goodness. Along with that comes the insight into how to purify the human scene so that the two are in harmony with one another. This doesn't actually adjust the spiritual creation, which is always present, but it does open our eyes to its reality. As we learn how to spiritually clarify individual and collective thinking on true cause and effect, progress can occur on the human scene. Ideas that heal readily come to light.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY AND THE FUTURE OF FISHERIES

Jesus once said, "Man shall not live by bread alone" (Matt. 4:4). Understanding that the true source of all provision in God, Jesus produced enough food from a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish to feed the hungry thousands gathered to hear him talk about spiritual truth. And there were baskets full of food left over! He knew the true substance of all creation to be God's wholesome, balanced, ever-present, and unchanging love.

In the infinitely resourced economy of Mind, there is only right supply and demand, meaning that there can never be an imbalance of goodness. Each idea has a right purpose, which is always to bless and be blessed. It is this balanced thinking that protects the environment and the much-needed food supplies. It reveals our own purity and brings solutions into focus.

Fisheries can be a viable source of food, without causing an imbalance or impurity in the environment. Our prayers to see the spiritual reality of creation, and God's totally good purpose for all of us, will help bring to light solutions to conditions that impede progress. This is the kind of thinking that will bless the world. |css