How were slaves fed on ships?

Answer 1

For the crew and captains of Middle Passage boats, food supply for the slaves was a nuisance, as well as a necessity. Because so much food was needed to feed the slaves in the over packed boats, some captains did not want to waste the boat space on food, but rather on slaves, and so they brought far too little food on the voyage. This low supply of food also created a problem- too many slaves would die of starvation if there was not enough food to feed them. The Portuguese had laid down precise regulations in the amount of food need for the journey of a slave vessel, and for a time those rules were maintained. The Law of 1684 emphasized these regulations. However captains bound for Rio from Luanda or Benguela in Angola often refused to buy what was needed. Food was certainly under supplied.