At global scale, transformative change is increasingly postulated for tackling ‘wicked’ problems such as climate change or global biodiversity loss, vis á vis sustainable food security. But how this transformative change can be achieved is unclear. This presentation will focus on the question of how can we fully realize the opportunities of the ocean? Storytelling, or creating a narrative, is a useful tool for communicating because stories appeal to our emotions, build positive associations and stick in our memories. There is a need for a set of mutually compatible compelling new narratives to motivate and guide transformative change conducive to the marine food security challenge under climate change. These cannot rely mainly on ecology but need to address economic and social concerns and should contribute to the reduction of inequalities. Therefore, in order to shift from ocean illiteracy to societal literacy that facilitates the needed transformative changes, we need to create narratives around the social dimensions and the contextual societal priorities of sustainable food security. This process includes revisiting our assumptions and biases, considering who are the winners and losers by taking cultural diversity seriously and opening spaces for debate on how we want to live is essential to achieve much-advocated value change and to find ways for a good life and decent living for all without degrading the oceans. Here we present an interdisciplinary exploration on creating narratives for sustainable marine food systems, using the growing industry of seaweed aquaculture as a case study.