Antonio Santos
Portuguese-American Fishermen in New Bedford
Collection of fifteen oral histories with Portuguese immigrant fishermen who worked out of the port of New Bedford. The project was sponsored by a NOAA Preserve America grant.
This is one of a set of 15 oral histories with Portuguese immigrant fishermen who worked out of the port of New Bedford. The project was sponsored by a NOAA Preserve America grant. Maria Santos tells the story of her husband António Santos while he lies nearby, unable to tell his own story due to Alzheimer's disease. At times, their sons Mario and Joe Santos add details. António was born in 1929 in the fishing village of Gala, near the city of Figueira da Foz. Maria tells how her husband went to sea at age 14 as a member of the Portuguese cod-fishing fleet, survived two shipwrecks, jumped ship in Nova Scotia, was arrested and deported to Portugal where he served jail time, came back to Canadá to fish out of Vancouver and eventually settled in New Bedford, where he worked aboard many boats and eventually bought his own, the Santo António, a dragger. She is joined by her younger sons who discuss the generational conflicts that can occur with acculturation.
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