An Arctic tourist guide has been fined €1,300 for scaring off a polar bear in the Norwegian far-north.

When a group of tourists on a snowmobile expedition in May spotted a bear standing still, 900 metres away, their guide decided to approach the predator to take a closer look.

The animal, spotted on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, fled the scene.

"The regulations say that it is forbidden to approach polar bears in such a way that they are disturbed, regardless of the distance," the Svalbard governor's office said in a statement.

Located 1,600km from the North Pole, Svalbard is, according to 2015 state figures, home to nearly 1,000 polar bears, a protected species since 1973.

Five deadly attacks on people have been recorded in about 40 years.