Conservationist Tony Amos has been recalled by his Bermudian nephew as “an amazing man and an inspiration indeed” in the wake of his passing at the age of 80.

Scientist André Raine paid tribute to the award-winning oceanographer, who died last month and had his ashes sent into the Gulf of Mexico on the back of a green sea turtle.

Dr Raine called it “a perfect send-off”, not least because the turtle, dubbed Picasso, had been restored to health at the Texas-based Animal Rehabilitation Keep, which Mr Amos founded 40 years ago on the campus of the Marine Science Institute.

“My uncle was a unique and inspirational man who created an enduring legacy in the form of his wildlife rehabilitation centre, the Ark,” Dr Raine said.

“He will be greatly missed by not only his family but also all of the people whose lives he touched through his rehabilitation work. His final send off — with his ashes sprinkled on the back of a turtle he had rehabilitated as it was released into the sea — was the most fitting celebration of his life that I can imagine.”

Born in Britain, Mr Amos had to be evacuated to the countryside as a child in the Second World War — an experience he later credited for sparking his passion for the natural world.

Mr Amos moved to Bermuda in 1954, working on Bluck’s Island with an electronics company aiming, unsuccessfully, to develop a new system for colour television.

He married a Bermudian woman, Lynn Cabral, and the couple left for the United States in 1962, but kept closely in touch with local family, such as the late wildlife artist Eric Amos, his brother.

In 2015, Mr Amos was recognised for his efforts with endangered animals, receiving the Recovery Champion Award from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species Programme.

The accolade was presented at the University of Texas, where he had worked since 1976.

“I wouldn’t say I’m pessimistic, but I’m worried about the future,” Mr Amos told The Royal Gazette at the time.

“I hope that some of the things myself and my colleagues have done convince people to be a little more careful with the environment.”

Mr Amos’s ashes were carried seaward by the turtle from a beach named in his honour on Mustang Island, where he was based.

His conservation work with marine animals and birds started in 1979, salvaging wildlife from an oil spill at the Bay of Campeche.

Over his career, Mr Amos saved the lives of thousands of marine mammals, turtles and sea birds.

He was also a tireless gatherer of data, tracking variations along many miles of the Gulf coastline — including the human impact — and accompanying scientists on marine research voyages around the globe.

According to the Caller-Times of Corpus Christi, Texas, Mr Amos’s indefatigable rescues included “endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles, piping plovers, red knots, brown pelicans and, at times, bald eagles”.

He came into contact with more than 5,000 sea turtles and more than 15,000 birds, the newspaper added.