Timor-Leste (East Timor) became an independent country at the close of the 20th century, and thus the
FAO‘s fisheries division only presents catch data for Timor-Leste from 1999 onwards. However, as a
former colony of Portugal and afterwards, as a province of Indonesia, the fisheries sector was described in
various technical reports. Here, we present estimates of Timor-Leste‘s fisheries catches from 1950 to
2009. During the Portuguese period (1950-1974), total fisheries catches were estimated to be
approximately 51,000 tonnes. Commercial fisheries catches were estimated to have averaged 83 t·year-1
from 1950-1965, but declined to 37 tonnes in 1973; however, small-scale catches were estimated to have
increased from approximately 1,600 t in 1950 to 2,300 t in 1973. During the Indonesian period (1975-
1998) fisheries catches were estimated to be approximately 72,000 tonnes. The commercial sector‘s catch
expanded from 60 t in 1974 to 2,800 t in 1998, and the small-scale catches averaged approximately 2,050
t·year-1
. However, due to the armed conflict surrounding independence in 1999, the associated destruction
of infrastructure, and the exodus of people to refugee camps, commercial catches were estimated to have
declined to 400 t in 2000, but have since increased to approximately 2,000 t·year-1 by 2009. Small-scale
catches during this time increased in importance, increasing from approximately 2,500 t in 1999 to
approximately 3,500 t·year-1 by 2009. Overall, estimated total catches increased from approximately 1,600
t in 1950 to approximately 5,600 t in 2009.