A person in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago has been fined $5,255 for using a foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear. The incident occurred earlier this month in a fjord located in northeastern Svalbard, approximately 620 miles from the North Pole.
According to local officials, the individuals aboard a vessel spotted a polar bear resting on land. One person on the ship then used the foghorn, causing the bear to wake and relocate. The governor of the territory stated that the person involved agreed to pay the fine. The identity and nationality of the person have not been revealed.
Local regulations in Svalbard prohibit needlessly disturbing, attracting, or pursuing polar bears. The species has been protected in the region since 1972.
An April 2025 photo showed a male polar bear navigating sea ice near glaciers in eastern Spitsbergen, which is part of the Svalbard archipelago. The most recent scientific estimate, carried out in 2015, counted approximately 260 polar bears in the area.
Despite challenges such as climate change and melting ice, the polar bear population in Svalbard appears to be thriving. Scientists reported in January that the bears are healthy and gaining weight. Jon Aars, a senior scientist with the Norwegian Polar Institute, and his team have tracked nearly 800 polar bears in Svalbard from 1992 to 2019. They observed that the bears are in good condition, capable of survival, and raising new cubs.
Aars expressed surprise at these findings, given the reduction in sea ice since his research began. While previous predictions suggested polar bears would be in trouble due to shrinking ice cover, which they use to hunt seals, the data indicates that the bears are adapting. The shrinking ice patches may even enhance their hunting efficiency as prey gathers in smaller areas.