MARK CARWARDINE

"Restricting the distance ships can approach a polar bear is not the answer"

- MARK CARWARDINE

THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT is introducing far-reaching changes to the regulations for polar bear watching. No one will be able to approach closer than 300m between 1st July and 28th February and 500m from 1st March to 30th June. If a bear swims or walks towards a ship, even if it is anchored, the ship will have to move away.

Furthermore, Zodiac inflatable boats won’t be allowed to get any closer than 150m from walrus haulouts, or 500m from seabird cliffs. And there will be a significant reduction in landing sites, from around 240 to just 43 (inevitably causing a far greater impact on these few sites) with a weirdly arbitrary limit of 39 people allowed ashore at 13 sites and 200 at all the others (still far too many in my opinion).