Fishing Rights

The French and American Shores in Newfoundland and Labrador: Documents

The origin, development, and abolition of French and American fishing rights on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Treaty of Utrecht, 1713: By which France ceded its claim to Newfoundland, with the exception of fishing rights along the coast from Cape Bonavista to Pointe Riche.
• Treaty of Paris, 1763: Treaty ending the Seven Years War by which French fishing rights, guaranteed by the Treaty of Utrecht, were reaffirmed; St.-Pierre and Miquelon were returned to France by Britain; and Spain renounced its claims to the Newfoundland fisheries.
• Treaty of Paris, 1783: Treaty ending the American Revolutionary War, which granted American fishermen the right to use unoccupied harbours along the “American Shore” of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Treaty of Versailles, 1783: Redrew the limits of the French Shore.
• The London Convention, 1818: Reaffirmed the rights of American fishermen under the Treaty of Versailles, 1783, after the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States.
• London Convention, 1904: By which France gave up its fishing privileges on the French Shore in return for compensation and territorial gains in Africa.