Rote is Indonesia's southern-most island with a population of approximately 128,000 people. Largely unregulated small-scale fi sheries are integral to local livelihood strategies. Local catches are highly diverse, which refl ects regional biodiversity and mixed fi shing strategies. Rote's four mile coastal marine zone open to local smallscale fi sheries is porous, resulting in competition against fi shers from outside the district. Beyond these four miles local fi shers compete against large-scale fi shing operations for declining resources. To maintain fi sheries sustainability and improve fi shing-dependant livelihoods, improved governance is needed. Aligning with the interactive governance framework, this chapter examines a small-scale purse seine fi shery operating around Rote waters, looking in particular at the implications of governance change through a coherent, carefully prioritized, reform scheme of investment and management. We argue that the major challenges to effective governance frameworks for small-scale fi sheries in Rote include: (i) poor information fl ow that impedes new discourses on the comparative advantages of alternative arrangements leaving governing bodies consistently confronted by wicked problems; (ii) local attitudes towards compliance with fi sheries laws and a limited capacity for enforcement; and (iii) a hierarchical governance system characterized by insecure tenure and competing governance priorities. We also present and argue for some likely pathways to improved governance.