Seaport management is central both to the Use of coastal resources and to the needs of a global economy. As the major point of commercial activity along the coast and as a source of pollution, harbors need to be administered strategically to provide the greatest benefit according to economic and environmental demands. To do this, port authorities must have the organizational capacities to appropriately perceive issues and analyze information about complex economic and environmental relationships. Moreover, factors of turbulent transition place increasing demands on ports to perceive, acquire, assimilate, and evaluate highly fragmented bits of information about new opportunities and potential constraints. This article is an annotated conversation that provides a practitioner's insight into the management of change along the coastal zone. To address the problem, we probe modern organization theory for new insight and attempt to apply concepts to practice.