As peak season for expedition voyages in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard gets under way, tourist ships are staying hundreds of metres away from polar bears under new rules intended to protect the carnivores.
Svalbard, whose largest island is Spitzbergen, is a remarkably accessible wilderness. Its capital, Longyearbyen, is barely 800 miles from the North Pole yet has daily flights from Oslo. The archipelago attracts travellers keen to experience Arctic nature and see wildlife – notably polar bears.
At the start of 2025 the Norwegian government placed strict limits on how close expedition ships could approach polar bears – initially set at 500 metres (1,640 feet).
The minister of climate and environment, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, said: “Climate change is leading to more difficult conditions for polar bears on Svalbard.
“It is important for them to be able to search for food, hunt, rest, and take care of their cubs without interference from humans.
“Keeping a good distance will also ensure that dangerous situations do not arise and that polar bears do not get used to humans over time.”
The new law says: “Any person who observes a polar bear closer than the distance requirement shall retreat, so as to maintain a lawful distance.”
Offenders face up to five years in prison if “substantial environmental damage or a risk thereof has been caused”.
Up to 30 June, ships must stay at least 500m away; from 1 July onwards the minimum distance reduces to 300m. But even with the lower limit, expedition leader and photographer Paul Goldstein says the rules are too draconian.
He told The Independent’s daily travel podcast: “This is a classic example of what I term ‘conservation fascism’.
“I have led small ship charters in the region since 2004. Never once have I seen a single incident where tourists intimidate or affect the behaviour of polar bears.
“It’s not exclusive to Spitzbergen. If you remember those researchers and scientists – we had to listen to their drivel during Covid as they shut down the world, drunk on the oxygen of publicity.
“These clowns are exactly the same. Their motto’s very simple: ‘We’re not happy till you’re not happy’.”
Mr Goldstein said “thousands of cabins” are sailing empty as a result of the distance rule, adding: “The dream is to see Ursus Maritimus padding over some sea ice. But if your precision optics demand a lens the size of a Stinger missile, the pleasure and thrill is being denied to almost all the gallery.”
The Norwegian government says the number of people travelling to Svalbard is rising, while simultaneously the archipelago is undergoing the fastest climate change on the planet.
Listen to Simon Calder’s interview with Paul Goldstein for The Independent’s daily travel podcast
