Restoration of a degraded system requires changing the behaviour of the keystone species which caused the degradation. Rules addressing reciprocity, stewardship, peer monitoring and accountability need to be added to the discussion of complexity and ecosystem based management. Restoration of these important human relationships create social learning through information sharing and public knowledge, as was the case when Northwest Coast fisheries supported a resilient system for more than 2,000 years. Unfortunately, several key assumptions remain unexamined with the currently popular proposals to reform ocean systems. These proposals retain beliefs in the efficacy of private top down authority, and the separation between society and nature. Although such fundamental changes in mind sets are difficult to achieve, crises may provide and opportunity for radical change.