'These species get a hold on ecosystems'

A SCOTS search-and-rescue responder has trained her hero dog to sniff out invasive “sea vomit” in what is believed to be a world first.

- BY STEPH SPYRO

Dr Texa Sim’s two-year-old Labrador, Uisge, who works with the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team, is able to detect Didemnum vexillum, an invasive marine organism that has been found in UK waters.

The species, commonly known as sea vomit, originates from Japan and is often transported across the world on the hulls of ships.

This fast-spreading marine vomit can clone itself, forming thick, carpet-like colonies that smother the seabed.

If left unchecked, it can blanket entire areas, driving out native species and damaging biodiversity. It also poses serious problems for the fishing industry, particularly shellfish farms.

Dr Sim, 33, has also trained her five-year-old search-and-rescue dog Sgiath to detect other invasive marine species.

Detection dogs are widely used on land to locate invasive plants and animals but Dr Sim saw an opportunity to bring that approach into the marine environment.

She said: “Detection dogs are really common for invasive-species work in the terrestrial environment, and I also have a background in marine science.