Fisheries and food security in Timor-Leste: the effects of ritual meat exchanges and market chains on fishing

Timor-Leste fishers use simple fishing techniques, boats and equipment, and the fishery sector presents a unique opportunity to promote an environmentally sustainable pattern of fishery resource management. Timor-Leste has one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the world, and fish could provide the needed protein, vitamins, and micronutrients. Here, I describe the models of production, distribution, and marketing of fish, and the consumption patterns of animal proteins. I discuss how ritual meat exchanges and marketing constraints influence the current economic strategies of fishing households. As a result, I suggest that in order to animate the sector, development policy should promote domestic fish consumption instead of general production along with investment and management of ice distribution systems.