Where in the world is Don?

After reviewing two months of this blog it would appear that Don is not a member of our family. It happens that I started this endeavor just as he started up his summer research session and he is gone A LOT. So, I thought I'd give some insight to what he is doing in south Florida all these days besides drinking rum and reliving his childhood by dressing as a superhero.
That's him on the right, a few years back...

Studying sick lobsters.
Don and his colleagues discovered a virus infecting spiny lobsters in the Keys. This disease (PaV1 – Panulirus argus Virus 1) has interesting impacts on the ecology of the spiny lobster. For example, lobsters are social animals and normally gather together in holes, under sponges, etc. Through their research they found that healthy lobsters are capable of detecting and then avoiding infected lobsters so as not to become infected themselves - a behavior not previously reported in the wild. He continues to work on the effects and potential causes of this disease and recently began a project to investigate the role of PaV1 in the commercial lobster fishery.

Drawing lobster "blood"...
Some big ones from the Tortugas...
He is also doing some work in southeast Florida looking at vessel use patterns on reefs. In other words, mapping where boats are on a reef and what activities they are participating in – fishing, diving, etc. They then dive the reefs to determine if use patterns correspond to impact patterns (damage) on the reef. So, he spends a bit of time in a helicopter watching boats and any associated wildlife like manta rays, whale sharks and girls in thongs.
Manta Ray...
Ship wreck/Artificial reef (not research related)...
Tire removal from the reef (also not research related but an interesting story)...
In the 1970's one million or so tires were tired together and dumped into the ocean in hopes of creating an artificial reef. Long story short, the project didn't work and eventually the bundles broke apart and tires were left on the bottom of the ocean, some banging up against natural reef. Several small scale, volunteer based projects were in effect to remove the tires but getting nowhere. Coastal America has taken over (a group that coordinates federal agencies) and the tires are now being removed 35 years later.
You can see the 18-wheeler trucks on board this ship being filled with tires. Easier to see if you click on the picture.