Tribute to Bob McDowall
Hon Kate Wilkinson, Minister of Conservation, today paid tribute to a fellow Cantabrian and New Zealand Conservation Authority member.
Bob McDowall died on 19 February 2010 of a brain tumour. He was a member of the New Zealand Conservation Authority, the Minister's independent advisor on nationally significant conservation matters.
"Bob was New Zealand's foremost freshwater fisheries scientist with a passion for his subject that spanned four decades or so. His "New Zealand Freshwater Fisheries" is the definitive text on the subject. Bob had a special gift for communication and was generous in sharing his knowledge about creatures that most of us have limited knowledge of" the Minister said.
'At the time of his death, Bob had just finished an extensive work on freshwater fishes in Maori culture and economy. This new work, to be published in May this year, will be a fitting memorial for this great scientist and New Zealander".