author
António Arthur Baldaque da Silva
1852–1915
A naval officer who turned close observation of the sea into lasting work on Portugal’s fisheries and coastal waters. His writing blends science, public policy, and life at sea in a way that still feels vivid today.
1 Audiobook
O descobrimento do Brasil por Pedro Alvares Cabral
by António Arthur Baldaque da Silva
About the author
Born in Lisbon on December 28, 1852, he built a career in the Portuguese Navy and became known for serious work in oceanography, hydrography, biology, and fisheries. Sources consistently describe him as both a military officer and a scholar, with a strong interest in understanding the sea in practical detail.
He is especially remembered for studying Portugal’s fisheries and maritime world with unusual breadth. The Portuguese Navy Museum notes that his major work, Estado Actual das Pescas em Portugal (1891), remains one of the most complete studies of the subject, reflecting his mix of scientific curiosity and public-minded purpose.
He died in Lisbon on August 21, 1915. Today he stands out as a figure who connected seafaring experience with research, helping document the natural and economic life of the Portuguese coast.