Personal perceptions of experiences associated with the origin, development, and partial implementation of the Strategic Plan for Ontario Fisheries are presented as a case history of a major fisheries management initiative. These experiences suggest that the traditional hierarchical approach to influencing political decisions tends to trap resource managers in programs that address symptoms rather than causes of basic fish management problems. A basic issue seems to be ineffective communications between agencies and the public. The remedy may lie in more effective science transfer within agencies so that all staff can distill and make use of a new level of “common sense” in talking with people. This may allow managers to better participate in the evolution of the public's value system and to help develop more realistic public expectations of the limited fish and aquatic resource base. This should result in support for new kinds of political decisions that are more effective over the long term.