Page 49 - 2003 SVALBARD, NORWAY

several years ago are now over-populated (about 7.5 million now

as opposed to 2.5 million in the 80s) and are causing degradation
of the cod supply for themselves and all other creatures including

man who are dependent on the cod. Their ecological impact
presently is very damaging. Though the market for harp seal pup

fur has rebounded after having dropped dramatically during the
Greenpeace protests, only 300,000 are taken annually which does
nothing to control or reduce the population overall. Though the

Canadian government did respond to the worldwide outpouring
of emotion due to the very effective Greenpeace protest, it only

postponed the time that the pups could be harvested. Now the
pups must be at least 6 weeks old and in their “blue” period

before they can be taken. Even execution methods were not really
“improved” by the protest according to Tom.

The Ring Seal is the most important food source in the entire
Arctic region and its numbers are quite secure according to Tom.

Though many creatures eat the seal, from polar bears to man to
walrus to other seals, they have easily sustainable numbers and

are not endangered. He also reported that the polar bear
population in Arctic Canada is stable even though the Inuit

peoples are allowed to take 550 bears annually.

After the lecture, we went to lunch and enjoyed some table
conversation with some fellow travelers who lent us a book called
“Summer Light” by a fellow who hiked from Oslo to Bergen and

took a trip similar to ours by boat as well as the voyage up the
west coast Norway like the one we anticipate in August. They

thought it would add to our enjoyment of this experience and the
upcoming one. These ladies also told us about Grace: an amazing

lady who appears to be in her 80s who lives on the M/S
Endeavour throughout the summer. She simply buys fares for all 5

of the Svalbard trip which Lindblad runs each year. She was