Dog that hunts invasive ‘sea vomit’ creature wins animal of the year award

A dog from the Scottish Highlands who hunts an invasive marine creature known as “sea vomit” has been named Animal of the Year by an international charity.

Sgiath, a black Labrador, has been trained to detect carpet sea squirt, which can smother and kill native species if left uncontrolled.

The six-year-old had originally been trained as a mountain rescue dog and is the first in the world to be trained to recognise the marine organism.

Her handler, marine ecologist Dr Texa Sim, began training Sgiath to detect Didemnum vexillum, which can spread rapidly across harbours, oyster farms and other marine infrastructure.

While identification of the species often requires specialist laboratory analysis and DNA testing, Sgiath can detect its scent quickly, even when it is hidden among other marine life.

"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, originally from Glasgow and now based near Glencoe, developed the idea while working on a native oyster restoration project on Scotland's west coast.

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.

"The first time I asked her to identify the target species among lots of similar scents, she went straight to it," she recalled. "That was the moment I thought: maybe this is actually going to work."

As a result, Sgiath has now been awarded with a prestigious prize by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and received the award at a ceremony in London on Thursday.

"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."

The work 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.

"We're not going to solve the problem entirely with dogs," said Dr Texa. "But they give us another tool. If we can identify the species earlier and more efficiently, it gives conservationists and site managers a much better chance of responding before the problem gets out of hand."

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 also meant warmer seas—creating a hot bed 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 pioneer a world-first approach to detecting invasive marine species, she has placed herself in a league of her own. For her innovation and impact, she is a worthy recipient of this year's Animal of the Year Award."