Portugal in the European Network of Marine Science Heritage and Outreach (19th-20th Centuries)

Abstract

The gradual consciousness of the scientific and economic riches of marine life is rooted inthe legacy of some pillars of scientific production and dissemination in institutions such as naturalhistory museums, aquariums, and maritime stations. Nowadays, one of the biggest issues of thesescientific collections of species (marine or others) is their contextual interpretation which demands itsoriginal collection point, collectors, and original aims. The current research focuses on the origin ofcollections of marine specimens in Portugal as well as their historical evolution. In this particularapproach, we assess the connection of the Portuguese natural history museums, universities andaquariums to similar European institutions since the mid-19th century, crossing primary sourcesfrom different archives. It was possible to reconstruct connections with the Zoological Station ofthe bay of Naples (Italy), the Maritime Museum of Monaco, and Aquariums of Monaco, France,and England. We identify both informers and the circulation of zoological specimens that underpinMuseums and Aquariums collections that are today important scientific heritage repositories for alarger understanding of marine biodiversity and its threats, and core places of aesthetic contemplationand of philosophical discussion about the evolution of scientific knowledge.