Northern Spitsbergen
This morning the National Geographic Explorer awoke to another rare sun kissed day off the northern coast of Spitsbergen Island. On approach to Moffen Island we passed over the invisible line of latitude 80 and celebrated the furthest north most of us have ever been. On approach to the flat and fairly non-descript island of sand, gravel and lagoon we soon realized we were not alone as the second largest pinniped in the world was there to greet us. Huddled together on barren shores and frolicking in groups in the water the “tooth walking sea horse” (as the latin name describes) provided a fantastic glimpse into the rich marine mammal world of the archipelago. The Walrus, once abundant in Svalbard, were hunted virtually to extinction during three and a half centuries of heavy commercial exploitation. Ivory was a valuable trade item and walrus haul out sites, such as the one on Moffen Island, were easily exploited. Protected in 1952 in Svalbard (when only a few hundred remained) the slow recovery of this species now finds approximately 2600 walrus scattered amongst 79 haul out sites.
Cruising southeast we headed for the mouth of Wijdefjorden and Mosselbukta (Mussel Bay) where we enjoyed some time on tierra firme. Walking amongst lichen encrusted rocks we found reindeer antlers and were surprised to learn that they can subsist largely off of lichens in the winter. The cabin, sled and drying rack near the shore helped to paint the picture of the hearty souls who came to Svalbard to hunt walrus, fox, polar bear and seals starting in the 1700s. The Russian Pomors were the first to follow the wake of slaughter left behind by the whalers, followed by Norweigan hunters. It is so hard to imagine people overwintering in these remote (and dark) outposts in search of luxurious winter coats (and whales) four hundred years ago.
After lunch we headed for Sorgfjorden and on en route were rewarded with the ultimate gift: mama bear, cubs and kill! Out in the middle of scattered pack ice the queen of the arctic seemed unthreatened by our approach as we slowly slipped through icy waters and spent over an hour watching family feed, rest and wander in their dynamic ice environment. Watching polar bears in their truly unbelievable habitat is an experience we will long remember!
