A signpost and a polar bear warning sign at Svalbard’s Longyearbyen airport is shown with blue waters and mountains in the background.

A signpost and a polar bear warning sign at Svalbard’s Longyearbyen airport in July 2015. A story looking at how microplastics have been found in waters near Svalbard were among your most read stories this week. (Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)

Politics, plastics and whaling: Arctic week in Review

On this week’s news round-up, we bring you some of your most read stories from Eye on the Arctic this week:

-In her most recent blog, Arctic expert Heather Exner-Pirot looks at the participation of indigenous people in the Arctic Council and how a new funding mechanism might improve it.

– Researchers have detected microplastics in Arctic waters near Svalbard, Norway. Data suggests that most particles travelled long distances and are from plastic items used aboard ships or for fishing.

-Arctic blogger Mia Bennett looks at the new class of polar explorers emerging in the wake of an expanding cruise industry.

-And in news from Alaska, profiles of three women who’ve taken part in the whale hunt as harpooners,something that has traditionally been a male role

– Russia and Finland talked economy at the Barents Euro-Arctic Council meeting this week, before chairmanship of the organization passed on to Moscow.

That’s all from us for now. We’ll be back next week with the latest stories and newsmakers from across the North.

Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca

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Categories: Environment & Animal Life, Indigenous, International, Internet, Science & Technology
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