The small Pacific Island nation of Palau has a long history of human settlement. Palau maintained a predominantly traditional lifestyle until the post-war modernization after 1950s, with fishing being a preoccupation for the majority of its male population. This study estimated Palau‘s total marine fisheries catches for the 1950-2008 period to be just over 200,000 tonnes. This total was 43% higher than the official reported data as presented by the FAO on behalf of Palau. The discrepancy was mainly due to subsistence catches which were under-reported in the official statistics. The total coastal catches including subsistence and artisanal, were estimated to be 103,480 t 45% higher than the 46,615 t of coastal catches reported over the period. Our findings illustrate the importance of the subsistence sector, with catches representing 60% of coastal fisheries catches. Better monitoring or at least regular comprehensive estimation of the subsistence sector is key to properly account for the social and economic importance of fishing in Palauan society.