(Image: Supplied)
A detection dog trained to identify a highly invasive marine species is being recognised with an international award for her work to protect UK coastlines.
Sgiath, a trained mountain rescue Labrador based near Glencoe, has earned the status of Animal of the Year from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a prestigious accolade which spotlights unsung heroes in animal welfare across the globe.
Sgiath and her handler, Glasgow-born marine ecologist Dr Texa Sim, will receive the award at IFAW's Animal Action Awards ceremony at BAFTA London, on Thursday, October 15.
Sgiath became what is believed to be the first dog in the world trained to detect Didemnum vexillum, the invasive marine organism commonly known as ‘sea vomit’. The species smothers native wildlife and threatens oyster farms and other aquaculture.
Paddling along the coast during low tide, Sgaith can sniff out sea vomit, catching small fragments of the species attached to boat hulls, fishing gear, or ropes.
Sgiath and her handler, Glasgow-born marine ecologist Dr Texa Sim (Image: Supplied)
The species can spread rapidly across harbours, oyster farms and other marine infrastructure, smothering native wildlife and threatening aquaculture businesses. Once widespread, it can be both difficult and costly to manage.
Sgiath’s early detection is considered critical to preventing the species from becoming established in new locations, and could prove increasingly important as climate change drives warming seas, creating conditions that may allow invasive marine species to spread more rapidly around UK coastlines.
Detection dogs are widely used on land to locate invasive plants and animals, but Dr Sim recognised an opportunity to bring the same approach into the marine environment, helping pioneer an entirely new approach to marine conservation.
"When I first started this project, I genuinely didn't know whether it would work," said Dr Sim.
"No one had really explored whether dogs could help tackle this problem in the marine environment. It began as a proof-of-concept project and has exceeded every expectation I had."
Dr Sim, who is based near Glencoe, developed the idea while working on a native oyster restoration project on Scotland's west coast.
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As a marine ecologist, she had become increasingly aware of the threat posed by invasive marine species and wondered whether a dog's super sense of smell could help provide a rapid, cost-effective detection tool.
While identification of the species often requires specialist laboratory analysis and DNA testing, Sgiath can detect its scent quickly and accurately, even when it is hidden amongst other marine organisms.
"The first time I asked her to identify the target species among lots of similar scents, she went straight to it," Dr Sim recalled.
"That was the moment I thought: maybe this is actually going to work."
Since then, Sgiath has been joined by a protégé, Uisge, a three-year-old labrador who was originally intended for ecology detection work and has rapidly followed in her older teammate's pawprints.
Together, the dogs have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to distinguish the invasive species from other sea squirts and marine organisms, even identifying traces of its scent in water samples.
"The dogs constantly surprise me," said Dr Sim. "Every time I think I've found the limit of what they're capable of, they show me I was wrong. Their ability to detect incredibly low concentrations of scent is just phenomenal.”
Sharon Livermore, IFAW's Director of Marine Conservation, said: "Every year, the Animal of the Year award celebrates animals doing extraordinary things, but Sgiath’s story is like nothing we’ve seen before. Her trailblazing work demonstrates the remarkable potential of dogs to contribute to conservation science in entirely new ways."
“This summer’s heatwaves have meant warmer seas, creating a hotbed for invasive species to spread, so early detections are critical. For her life-saving abilities as a mountain rescue dog alone, Sgiath would be worthy of recognition. But by helping to pioneer a world-first approach to detecting invasive marine species, she has placed herself in a league of her own.”