A Norwegian boater was fined 50,000 kroner for intentionally waking a sleeping polar bear with a ship's foghorn.
A boater in Norway was fined 50,000 kroner, approximately $5,300, for intentionally using a ship's foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear in the Svalbard archipelago. The incident occurred earlier this month while a vessel was sailing in a1 fjord in northeastern Svalbard. Governor Lars Fause stated that the occupants of the vessel spotted the bear sleeping on land and used the horn to wake the animal, which then moved to another location. Local regulations prohibit visitors from unnecessarily disturbing, attracting, or pursuing polar bears, which have been a protected species in the region since 1972. The fine was accepted and paid by the individual, whose identity was not disclosed. While climate change has led to shrinking sea ice, researchers such as Jon Aars of the Norwegian Polar Institute have noted that the bears in Svalbard are currently thriving and adapting to smaller ice patches. These conditions may even be helping the bears hunt more efficiently as their prey is concentrated in smaller areas.