Polar bears in Tromsø: the controversy under everyone’s eyes.

Polar bear on display in Tromsø.

Until the late 1960s, polar bear skins, trophies, and live cubs were regularly shipped from Svalbard to mainland Norway, after decades of hunting and trapping had severely reduced the population.

Bears, walruses, whales, coal... nature was treated as a resource to exploit and convert into wealth. While this mindset has largely persisted, with oil, gas, fish, and krill becoming the new commodities, polar bears were at least granted protection in 1973 when hunting was banned.

For historical reasons, polar bears remain a visible presence in Tromsø today, where old skins, rugs, and trophies can still be found displayed in offices, businesses, museums, souvenir shops, pubs, and private homes.

Polar bear in one of Tromsø's tourist shops.

Modern trade

This historical justification started to unravel when a large shiny polar bear appeared in one of Tromsø’s souvenir shops. A magnificent animal that had once roamed the Arctic ice was now standing still inside a glass cage, staring at tourists, post cards and glowing green made-in-China magnets. If hunting polar bears has been illegal for decades, how did this animal end up as a marketing attraction in a souvenir shop? Where did the bear come from? Who killed it, who sold it, and to whom? And how much was paid to acquire this threatened species?

One of the most recent polar bears in Tromsø.

Some of us were aware of the ongoing trade. In fact, a few years ago, a shop right in Tromsø city center was selling polar bear skins and trophies to tourists in exchange for a few hundred thousand Norwegian crowns. The shop is no longer in Tromsø, but a similar one is in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. “A magnificent polar bear skin is both a wise investment and a treasure for the home” the brochure says near a photo where two children pretend to nap on a dead polar bear. The bear’s mouth is wide open, showing its teeth.

Adam Cruise during the Q&A session after the screening of Trade Secret at Aurora Kino, Tromsø.

The screening of Trade Secret in Tromsø in February 2026 came as a shock to many of the people who sat through the film’s 140-minute investigation. The documentary condenses six years of work across several countries. Adam Cruise, the investigative journalist featured in the film, attended the Q&A session in person and confirmed what many in the audience struggled to believe: the global trade in polar bear parts is thriving.

Norway is the world’s second-largest importer of polar bear parts, behind only China.

In Bergen, the Trade Secret team found one shop that held between 300 and 400 polar bear skins awaiting sale. The case eventually became public through reporting by three NRK journalists. ("Polar bear skins worth millions lie in a hidden warehouse in Bergen", 26 April 2026).

The owner of the souvernir shop in Bergen and his polar bear skins for sale (photo: Ronald Hole Fossåskaret / NRK)

After the screening of Trade Secret and the discussion with Adam Cruise, some people in the audience began wondering how many polar bears were actually present in Tromsø. We started looking for them in a methodical way.

One of the polar bears at the Polar Museum in Tromsø.

We quickly found the first ten bears. But every time we thought we had found them all, new ones kept appearing: a mounted bear in a private home, another visible in the background of an archived newspaper photograph, skins advertised for sale on Finn.no, Norway’s main second-hand marketplace.

So far, we have found 30 polar bears in Tromsø, and the inventory continues to grow.

We then decided to go one step further and investigate the stories behind these animals. How old are they? Where did they come from? How were they killed? One day, we will share these stories in full. In the meantime, we have started building an interactive map, and we welcome anyone to contact us if they know of a polar bear in Tromsø that is not yet included.

The interactive map of Tromsø's polar bears (work in progress!).

Will Norway oppose commercial trade on polar bear?

What Trade Secret highlights is the controversial position of environmental organisations such as WWF and Polar Bears International regarding the global trade in polar bear parts. These influential organisations support keeping the polar bear listed under Appendix II of CITES, which permits international trade under regulated conditions.

Polar bear in a souvenir shop in Tromsø.

In practice, a country must propose moving the species from Appendix II to Appendix I at a CITES conference to initiate a process that could eventually lead to a global trade ban. So far, Norway has declined to take on that role.

The next CITES conference is scheduled to take place in Panama in 2028. Following the release of the documentary, Trade Secret launched an online campaign encouraging people to contact the Minister of Climate and the Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen and ask Norway to support such a proposal.

Polar bear in a pub in Tromsø.

Rissa Citizen Science joined the campaign in May by organising an event at Storgata Camping together with wildlife film director and cinematographer Ismaele Tortella and photographer Samuel Llobet.

After an hour of personal storytelling, everyone was invited to sign a letter to Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, write the address on the envelope, and seal it themselves.

Polar bear stories with Ismaele Trotella and Samuel Llobet and advocacy at Storgata Camping, 13 May 2026.

We aim to reach the symbolic milestone of 100 signatures as our modest contribution to advocating for a ban on the polar bear trade. Keep an eye on our Events page and Instagram. We are preparing an new event to collect the remaining signatures.

Another polar bear in another souvenir shop in Tromsø.

---

Special thanks to Nina who turned out to be the most effective dead polar bear hunter in the team, by far. And thumbs up to Rikke who made the interactive map.

We are grateful to Storgata Camping for facilitating the Polar bear stories and advocacy event in May 2026. Ismaele Tortella and Samuel M. Llobet captivated the audience and set the stage perfectly for the signature session that followed. We are grateful to Ina and Lele for their generous support.

Last but not least, the Trade Secret team deserves our full support for the important work they are doing and for their dedication to this cause.