Robert Fridley, professor emeritus of biological and agricultural engineering at UC Davis and an expert on mechanized fruit harvesting and fish farming, died March 19. He was 71.

"Widely appreciated for his problem-solving abilities, productivity, leadership and vision, Bob Fridley made significant contributions to his discipline and to the College of Engineering. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on," said Enrique Lavernia, dean of the college of engineering.

Fridley earned a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in 1956, a master's in agricultural engineering from UC Davis in 1960 and was appointed assistant professor at UC Davis in 1961. He was a visiting professor at Michigan State University from 1970-71 and was awarded a doctorate from Michigan State in 1973. He served as chair of the Department of Agricultural Engineering at UC Davis from 1974 to 1976.

He is widely recognized for his studies of the mechanized harvesting of tree fruit, including developing shaking devices now widely used to harvest almonds and walnuts, said Bruce Hartsough, professor and chair of biological and agricultural engineering.

"It was pretty revolutionary stuff compared to manual harvesting," Hartsough said.

Fridley held several patents on fruit harvesting and handling, and co-authored a book, "Principles and Practices for Harvesting Fruits and Vegetables," (1983) with Mike O'Brien from UC Davis and Burt Cargill from Michigan State University.

From 1977 to 1985, he worked at the Weyerhaeuser Company, Tacoma, Wash., focusing initially on forestry. He became involved in aquaculture operations because the company was experimenting with using hot water from its plants to raise salmon. Fridley returned to UC Davis in 1985 to direct the Aquaculture and Fisheries Program, which he expanded and strengthened.

Dr. Fridley chaired the Project 2000 Strategic Planning Steering Committee for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis and was appointed executive assistant dean in 1989. He officially retired in 1994 but served as a special assistant through 2000.

Fridley received numerous honors throughout his career and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1985. In 1989, he chaired a national committee appointed by the National Research Council to assess technology for aquaculture. Their recommendations for more investment in research on ocean farming were published by the National Academies Press in "Marine Aquaculture, Opportunities for Growth." In 2000, he was appointed to serve on the National Research Council's advisory board on agriculture and natural resources.

He is survived by his wife, Jean Fridley; his mother, Gladys Fridley; sister, Betty Runkle; and three sons: James, professor of forest engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle; Kenneth, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; and Michael, who works for the Weyerhaeuser Company, Columbus, Miss.; and eight grandchildren.

Services were held today at St. James Catholic Church in Davis. Memorial donations may be made to the Yolo Hospice, Davis.