ACADEMIA Letters Human Relationship with the Ocean Needs a New Paradigm Saleem Mustafa, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah Abentin Estim, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah Sitti Raehanah M. Shaleh, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah Abstract There are serious concerns that human relationship with the ocean is not sustainable. This vast ecosystem is responding to our actions in ways that should be taken seriously for devis- ing remedial actions. A major part of the ocean (80%) has not been explored, and this requires prioritizing marine research and using novel approaches for generating scientifc information that can be used for designing knowledge-based methods for actions aimed at protecting 30% of the marine area by 2030. Articulating strategies by leveraging all forms of existing knowl- edge and blending it with disruptive innovations and technologies to generate a sound basis for action is a challenge especially for institutions of higher education to address. It is also an opportunity for the academia to transform the educational and research systems focused on solutions. Keywords: Ocean health; Blue economy; Social-ecological system; Sustainable develop- ment Academia Letters, August 2021 Corresponding Author: Saleem Mustafa, saleem@ums.edu.my Citation: Mustafa, S., Estim, A., M. Shaleh, S.R. (2021). Human Relationship with the Ocean Needs a New Paradigm. Academia Letters, Article 2941. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2941. 1 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0