<p>The increasing demand for sand has led to a shift from inland to marine extraction. Despite receiving little attention in marine policy and MSP discussions, sand extraction remains embedded within established institutional frameworks due to society’s growing reliance on it. This creates a paradox in which sand extraction is concurrently under-discussed and institutionally supported, potentially creating gaps in addressing its socio-ecological consequences. This paper explores policy discourses of sand extraction that exist across the marine policy and MSP domain. We focus on the Dutch North Sea context, where both MSP and sand extraction are well-established within marine governance, yet the country’s sustainability visions may seemingly conflict with extractive practices. We identify four distinct discourses, with the most influential showing that sand extraction draws legitimacy from associations with national security, economic growth and climate adaptation. While sustainability concerns are focused on managing spatial competitions amongst different marine sectors, we find openings for change at the interplay of growing environmental impact concerns and uncertainties about the long-term impacts of sand extraction, which ultimately bring forward new knowledge questions and actor coalitions. Societal concerns and public participation, however, remain constrained within the dominant discourse of public interest in coastal safety. This discursive dynamic ultimately reinforces extractive industries as beneficial to the public good. We conclude that opportunities for improvement exist, but established discourses limit the extent of change.</p>