On 3 October 2026, Canada’s fisheries minister Joanne Thompson told reporters that France has not issued a new snow‑crab licence for the waters off Newfoundland, despite a surprise pledge last month by French President Emmanuel Macron to grant an exploratory licence to a fishing company based in the Saint‑Pierre‑Miquelon archipelago.
The Promise and the Reaction
Thompson said her department had been in touch with French officials after media outlets such as franceinfo and Radio‑Canada reported Macron’s commitment. “Canada affirms our claim to the extension of Canada’s continental shelf, which includes all snow crab in this area,” she stated in a written release. “Canada does not agree with any foreign snow crab fishing in this area.” She added that any licensing discussions would have to follow the long‑standing, formal processes between the two countries, and that no such talks have taken place.
The minister’s comments came just a day after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s historic visit to Saint‑Pierre‑Miquelon – the first time a Canadian premier had set foot on the French islands. During that trip, Macron reportedly told local fishers he hoped to launch “calm but constructive debates” with Canada over the continental shelf, a remark captured on video by franceinfo.
Legal Background and Continental Shelf Dispute
The waters in question lie beyond Canada’s 200‑nautical‑mile limit but within the area Ottawa claims as part of its extended continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Canada lodged its submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in 2013, covering the Atlantic seaboard including Newfoundland. France filed a comparable claim in 2014 for the zone around Saint‑Pierre‑Miquelon, noting an overlap with Canada’s assertion, particularly off Nova Scotia.
Under UNCLOS rules, overlapping claims must be settled by agreement between the states before the commission can make a ruling. A 1992 decision already granted the French islands a 24‑nautical‑mile exclusive zone plus a narrow 10.5‑mile strip – colloquially known as the French Baguette – that stretches southward but stops short of Canada’s 200‑nautical‑mile boundary. Ottawa rejected France’s 2014 submission, insisting it would not recognise any maritime rights beyond the 1992 settlement.
Kevin Anderson, head of the School of Fisheries at Memorial University’s Marine Institute in St John’s, noted that the area Macron mentioned falls inside Canada’s claimed extended shelf. “Canada has been fishing these crab in this area for a long time,” Anderson said in an interview, pointing to earlier court decisions that have upheld Canadian jurisdiction over the snow‑crab stock. He added that the seabed‑dwelling nature of snow crab makes it directly relevant to the commission’s deliberations.
Local Impact and Fisheries Perspective
Fishing remains the backbone of Saint‑Pierre‑Miquelon’s economy, supporting roughly 5,800 residents. Thompson acknowledged the historic partnership between Newfoundland and Labrador and the French islands, saying she hopes that relationship will endure. Nevertheless, she warned that Ottawa will “always defend the interests of the harvesters, families, and communities in Newfoundland and Labrador who count on the snow crab fishery.”
The minister’s firm stance reflects broader concerns among Atlantic Canadian harvesters that any foreign licence could undermine domestic access to a stock that has sustained coastal communities for generations.
Why it Matters
The disagreement over a single snow‑crab licence encapsulates a longer‑running tussle for maritime jurisdiction in the North Atlantic, where overlapping continental‑shelf claims threaten to unsettle established fishing rights and coastal economies. If France were to proceed with a licence despite Canada’s objections, it could set a precedent that challenges the effectiveness of UNCLOS dispute‑resolution mechanisms and jeopardise the livelihoods of thousands who depend on the crab harvest. Conversely, Ottawa’s insistence on defending its claim reinforces the principle that resource management must respect historical usage and legal clarity, sending a signal to other nations that unilateral actions in contested waters will be met with diplomatic and legal pushback. The outcome will shape not only the immediate fortunes of fishers on both sides of the Atlantic but also the broader framework for managing shared marine resources in an era of increasing environmental and geopolitical pressure.
