Norwegian Boater Fined Over $5,000 for Waking Sleeping Polar Bear

A boater in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago has been fined 50,000 Norwegian kroner, approximately $5,300, for intentionally using a ship’s horn to awaken a sleeping polar bear. The incident occurred this month in Lomfjorden, within the Svalbard archipelago, according to a statement from the Governor of Svalbard.

Officials confirmed that individuals aboard a vessel spotted a polar bear resting on land. One person then sounded the ship’s horn, causing the animal to stir and move away. Other passengers later reported the incident, leading authorities to investigate.

The investigation determined that the horn blast was intentional and constituted a violation of the Svalbard Environmental Act. The fine was accepted and paid by the individual responsible.

Polar bears in Svalbard are afforded strict protections designed to prevent disturbance and maintain safe distances. Recent updates to Svalbard environmental regulations, effective January 2025, mandate that people remain at least 300 meters (about 984 feet) away from polar bears. This distance requirement increases to 500 meters (roughly 1,640 feet) from March 1 through June 30, a period when the animals are considered particularly vulnerable.

Norwegian regulations also prohibit unnecessary disturbance, attraction, or pursuit of polar bears. Anyone encountering a polar bear at a closer distance is required to retreat until the minimum safe distance is re-established.

This incident follows a similar case in 2024 where a visitor was fined 12,500 Norwegian kroner, about $1,300, for getting too close to a walrus in Svalbard. In that instance, the individual approached a resting walrus on a floating ice sheet in Adventbukta. Members of the public and the governor's staff witnessed the event, leading to the fine for violating a provision of the Svalbard Environmental Act concerning unnecessary disturbance of wildlife.

Following the walrus incident, the Governor of Svalbard urged visitors to maintain a respectful distance from marine mammals, both to protect the animals and to prevent potentially dangerous encounters.