ST. JOHN'S Canada's fisheries minister, Joanne Thompson, confirmed that France has not yet issued a new snow crab license off the coast of Newfoundland, despite a recent commitment made by French President Emmanuel Macron. Reports from various news outlets, including franceinfo and Radio-Canada, indicated that Macron had pledged to provide an exploratory snow crab license to a fishing company in St-Pierre-Miquelon, a French archipelago located off Newfoundland's southeastern coast.
This promise from Macron came as a surprise to Canadian officials and was reported just a day after Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to St-Pierre-Miquelon, marking the first official Canadian prime ministerial visit to the French islands. Thompson made it clear that Canada maintains its claim to the extended continental shelf, which includes all snow crab in the area, stating that Canada does not agree with any foreign snow crab fishing in these waters.
Thompson further noted that any licensing discussions must occur through formal and well-established processes, which have not yet taken place between the two countries. The ongoing territorial disputes between Canada and France have persisted for decades, and Macron's comments during his visit seemed aimed at reigniting some of those discussions. His remarks to fishers in St-Pierre-Miquelon indicated a desire to initiate “calm but constructive debates” regarding the continental shelf.
Fishing serves as a vital economic driver for St-Pierre-Miquelon, which has a population of approximately 5,800 people. Both Canada and France are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which accords coastal states sovereign rights over the resources of the seabed extending into the ocean basin. If the continental margin of a country extends beyond 200 nautical miles from its coastline, that nation can submit a claim to the United Nations’ Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to assert rights over that area.
Canada submitted its claim for the region around its Atlantic coast, including Newfoundland, in 2013, while France made its submission for the area around St-Pierre-Miquelon in 2014. France's claim overlaps with Canada's, particularly in regions near Nova Scotia. According to the commission's regulations, the two countries are required to agree on any conflicting claims. In the interim, a ruling from 1992 established a 24-nautical-mile exclusive zone for the French islands, plus a narrow strip known as the French Baguette that extends southward but does not reach Canada’s 200-nautical-mile limit.
Canada has responded to France’s 2014 submission by rejecting any claims by France to maritime zones outside of the 1992 decision. The area where Macron reportedly promised a snow crab license is beyond Canada’s 200 nautical miles, but still within its extended continental shelf. According to Kevin Anderson, the head of the School of Fisheries at the Marine Institute of Memorial University in St. John's, N.L., Canada holds a strong position concerning Macron's proposed fishing area.
Anderson emphasized that Canada has been involved in snow crab fishing in the region for an extended period, citing past court decisions that have affirmed Canada’s jurisdiction over the snow crab population there. He stated, “We have the legal structure, we have history, and I think, generally speaking, the precedent, that’s the Canadian confidence, I think, that this is ours.” Additionally, it is advantageous that snow crab inhabit the seabed, which falls under the purview of the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
In her statement on Friday, Thompson expressed hope for continued cooperation between Newfoundland and Labrador and St-Pierre-Miquelon. However, she reiterated, “Canada will always defend the interests of the harvesters, families, and communities in Newfoundland and Labrador who count on the snow crab fishery.” This complex dynamic exemplifies the ongoing challenges in balancing territorial claims and economic interests between Canada and France.
