BBC- A boat operator in Norway's Svalbard archipelago has been fined over $5,000 for waking a sleeping polar bear with a ship's foghorn.
- The incident occurred earlier in August when a ship was in Lomfjorden, Svalbard.
- Occupants of the vessel spotted a polar bear sleeping on land and used the foghorn, waking the animal.
- The Governor confirmed that others on board notified him of the incident.
- On Thursday, the unnamed individual was fined 50,000 kroner (approximately $5,255) for violating the Svalbard Environmental Act, Section 30a.
- The individual has agreed to pay the fine.
- Under local regulations, it is forbidden to needlessly disturb, attract or pursue a polar bear, which has been a protected species since 1972.
- The Svalbard Environment Act requires that all traffic must not lead to unnecessary disturbance of local wildlife, including polar bears.
- Approximately 250 polar bears were counted in the archipelago during the last scientific estimate in 2015.
A boat operator in Norway's Svalbard archipelago has been fined 50,000 kroner (approximately $5,255) for waking a sleeping polar bear with a foghorn, an incident that occurred earlier this month in Lomfjorden.127
The governor confirmed that the operator used the ship's horn, causing the bear to wake and move.6
Under the Svalbard Environmental Act, it is illegal to "needlessly disturb, attract or pursue a polar bear," a protected species since 1972.9
The law mandates maintaining a distance of approximately 980 feet from polar bears, increasing to 1,640 feet from March through June.
Governor Lars Fause stated, "A person on board then used the ship's foghorn, waking the animal, which moved to another location."
The individual, whose identity remains undisclosed, has agreed to pay the fine.8
This incident is not isolated; in 2024, a tourist was fined 11,500 kroner for a similar disturbance.
The Svalbard archipelago is home to about 250 polar bears, according to the last scientific estimate in 2015.11
The Svalbard Environment Act emphasizes that all traffic must avoid unnecessary disturbance to local wildlife, including seals, whales, reindeer, and arctic foxes.10
“The fine, 50,000 kroner (about $5,255), was issued under the Svalbard Environmental Act, which prohibits needlessly disturbing polar bears, a protected species since 1972. The governor's statement noted that others on board reported the incident, and the person agreed to pay.”
