Unhidden Contribution of Women Fisheries in Timor-Leste: Shaping Sustainable Socio-Ecological and Food Systems

Marine invertebrate fisheries contribute heavily to the food security, livelihoods, employment, and income of ocean-dependent communities where aquatic foods are often available near the shores. Yet local and traditional knowledge and women's participation in this space are often poorly represented in fishery research, policies, and investment decision processes. This causes gender disparity to persist in Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF), where women become more vulnerable to accessing shared ocean space and aquatic resources than men in developing and small-island nations. Responding to the complexities of these fisheries, we used interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to assess the social-ecological dynamics combined with limited knowledge of multi-species and habitats in invertebrate fisheries. Our results revealed that gleaning fisheries in Timor-Leste are seasonal and gender-based activities, indicating that women are more productive during the gleaning seasons. The catch diversity (195 species from 6807 individuals), Cath Per Unit Effort and habitat use were significantly variable due to the biophysical characteristics combined with socioeconomic and cultural structures that shape the local fisheries intergenerationally. Understanding the social-ecological complexities of gleaning fisheries and under-represented groups' engagement is critical for fisheries management and governance. Hence, this can create a transformative gateway to sustainable marine resource use by revitalising co-production knowledge that promotes gender balance and local and traditional knowledge systems. Furthermore, it gives legal voice and legitimacy to women fishers so they can fully exercise their roles as local traditional knowledge holders and fundamentally contribute to aquatic foods and ocean stewardship.