Dowd, Scott

Scott Dowd is a conservation biologist at New England Aquarium in Boston, MA, USA and Executive Director of Project Piaba. He received his M.Sc. from the University of Stirling in 2003; his thesis was entitled “Observations on the cardinal tetra fishery with an emphasis on the measurement of stress.” For more than 20 years, Scott has been actively involved in conservation of the cardinal tetra fishery in the mid-Rio Negro region of the Amazon, working along the entire industry chain of Amazonian fishermen, exporters, importers, retail stores, and hobbyists. He continues to be a strong proponent of the trade in environmentally friendly ornamental fish worldwide. Scott has recently established the Home Aquarium Fish Sub-group within the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He has recruited a Steering Committee of global leaders in the aquarium industry and related fields and is now working to replicate and expand the Project Piaba model as a tool of conservation and poverty alleviation in regions of biological importance. Programs: Project Piaba Fishes of the Rio Negro, Brazil (with Ryan McAndrews) Freshwater Fish Specialist Group Conservation