Svalbard Issues Record Fine for Foghorn Disturbance of Polar Bear

Svalbard fined an individual NOK 50,000 (£3,890) for sounding a ship's foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear in a northwestern fjord. Governor Lars Fause confirmed the fine was paid. It surpasses earlier penalties: NOK 20,000 each for two guides in 2024, and NOK 11,500 for a tourist approaching a walrus. Svalbard's 2015 polar bear count estimated roughly 250 individuals.