Victor Daniel Silva

Victor Daniel Silva was born on September 14, 1983, in Beaufort, North Carolina, and raised at 412 Front Street, just three blocks from the boardwalk. His father, Daniel Silva Sr., was a first-generation Portuguese-American commercial fisherman from New Bedford, Massachusetts, and his mother, Elena Torres-Silva, worked as an administrative assistant. From age six, Victor spent weekends aboard his father’s 38-foot wooden-hulled trawler, The Sea Sprite, learning knot-tying, net mending, and dead reckoning navigation. The ocean was not just scenery—it was a way of life.

Victor began his fishing career working alongside his father aboard The Sea Sprite in North Carolina waters from 2002 to 2011. He served as deckhand from 2002 to 2006, then earned his U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain’s License (100 Gross Tons) in 2006 and became co-captain. After his father’s passing in 2010, Victor operated the family vessel for one additional season before relocating to Louisiana’s Gulf Coast in 2012.

In Louisiana, Victor worked as a contract captain for Blanchard Seafood Co. in Terrebonne Parish from 2012 to 2014. In 2015, he purchased his own vessel, The Daniel S., a 48-foot fiberglass-hulled shrimp trawler. He now specializes in skimmer trawling for brown and white shrimp and runs a 150-trap blue crab line out of Houma and Leeville, Louisiana. Known for using traditional twine-mending techniques and vintage navigation tools, Victor has built a reputation for consistency and skill in Gulf Coast shrimping and crabbing.

Victor is a member of the Louisiana Shrimp Association and holds active U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain’s License and First Aid/CPR/AED Maritime Certification credentials. He previously participated in Future Farmers of America (FFA) Aquaculture Chapter and was a member of the Beaufort High School Varsity Crew team.

According to a profile in BM Magazine, Victor is known for consistency and skill, and in an industry where conditions change fast, that kind of reliability matters. In May 2026, IssueWire reported that Victor spoke out about the growing pressures facing independent fishermen along the Gulf Coast, calling for increased awareness of the industry’s role in local economies and food systems.

• U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Master Captain’s License (100 Gross Tons), U.S. Coast Guard, Acquired 2006; renewed 2011, 2016, 2021
• First Aid/CPR/AED Maritime Certification, American Red Cross

• Louisiana Shrimp Association
• Future Farmers of America (FFA) – Aquaculture Chapter, Former
• Beaufort High School Varsity Crew team, Former