Malnutrition is a critical developmental obstacle in Timor-Leste, with poor maternal health and nearly half of its children under five suffering from stunting from diets that are chronically low in nutrient-rich foods, including fish. A new study from Timor-Leste, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE , shows that when it comes to improving intake of dietary nutrition, increased fish supply only works in tandem with public awareness and not alone.
The study, conducted by WorldFish scientists in collaboration with Mercy Corps examined the effects of increasing pelagic fish catch through nearshore Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and social behaviour change (SBC) communication on improving fish consumption among inland, nutritionally vulnerable communities.
Results indicated meaningful dietary improvements occurred only when increased fish supply was accompanied with targeted nutrition messaging. Households exposed to both increased fish availability and nutrition campaign were nearly twice as likely to purchase fish and women were over four times as likely to report fish consumption the previous day, compared to the control group. While increased supply and messaging alone yielded no significant effect on fish intake.
Importantly, the study found that knowledge was not the main barrier. Awareness of the health benefits of aquatic foods was already exceptionally high, with 99% of participants able to correctly identify at least one benefit for children, such as improved growth, brain development, or resistance to illness. However, this strong baseline knowledge did not translate into higher fish consumption on its own. Education without improved access made little difference.
The complementarity of fish supply and demand in improving dietary nutrition intake is particularly important given the central role of women’s diets in shaping maternal and child nutrition outcomes, especially during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early childhood.
The study also highlights important caveats. FADs are not a universal solution: some sites did not experience increased fish catches, demonstrating that local ecological and social conditions strongly influence their effectiveness. In addition, the benefits of the intervention were contained within participating communities, with no measurable spillover to neighbouring villages. This suggests that scaling up such approaches will require deliberate planning, infrastructure investment, and sustained support.
Beyond its nutrition findings, the study also reflects a broader shift in how fisheries interventions are being evaluated. While randomized controlled trials are standard in public health and increasingly common in agriculture and development economics, they remain uncommon in fisheries. WorldFish is now applying experimental, trial-based approaches to rigorously test which fisheries investments actually change behaviour, governance, and nutrition outcomes.
As the first ever randomized controlled trial to rigorously evaluate a nutrition-sensitive fisheries intervention using this integrated approach, the study provides strong evidence for policymakers and development partners. It shows that improving diets requires coordinated solutions that address both access to nutritious foods and the conditions that shape food choices.
The findings contribute to broader efforts to build climate-smart, nutrition-sensitive food systems, particularly in small island and coastal nations where fish is a culturally valued and nutritionally powerful resource with untapped potential to address malnutrition.
“People already understand that fish is good for their children,” said Alex Tilley, Senior Scientist at WorldFish and lead author of the study. “What this research shows is that knowledge alone isn’t enough. To see real nutrition changes, we need to work to improve access to fish—consistently and affordably—and pair that access with practical nutrition guidance.”
Building on this experimental approach, WorldFish has now launched a new controlled study in Kenya to examine how real-time digital information influences fishing behaviour and governance. The research protocol, recently published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems , outlines a one-year, multi-treatment trial along Kenya’s southern coast.
The study will work with Beach Management Units, which oversee local landing sites where catch data is routinely collected but rarely returned in usable form to fishing communities. Using the open-source digital platform Peskas , researchers will provide different groups with varying levels of fisheries feedback, ranging from conventional top-down reporting to tailored, community-level insights.
By comparing communities receiving different types and intensities of information, the research will assess how digital feedback affects fishing practices, cooperation, and decision-making.
“Digital tools have incredible potential to level the playing field,” said Dr Tilley. “When people can see what’s happening in their own fishery—and their neighbours’—they’re better equipped to collaborate, avoid conflict, and plan for the future.”
“Fishers repeatedly say, ‘We give you data but never see anything back,’” he added. “Peskas is designed to close that loop. When communities can actually see their own catch trends and how neighbouring sites are performing, it opens the door for better communication, stronger trust, and more sustainable choices.”
The Kenya study is supported by the Digital Transformation Accelerator, funded by contributors to the CGIAR Trust Fund and UK International Development through the Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway Project . The funding supports both this research and the continued scaling of open-access digital fisheries systems.
PLOS One
Randomized controlled/clinical trial
People
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