Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

By The Canadian Press

Canada urges France to back off plan for snow crab fishery off coast of Newfoundland

Sep 30, 2026 | 12:26 PM

ST. JOHN’S — Canada’s fisheries minister is encouraging France to abandon its plan to launch a snow crab fishery in waters near Newfoundland and the French territory of St-Pierre-Miquelon.

In a post on social media, Joanne Thompson says she’s disappointed that France is acting unilaterally.

The news comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney visited French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month in St-Pierre-Miquelon, a small archipelago about 25 kilometres from Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula.

According to French news outlet franceinfo, Macron promised an exploratory snow crab licence to a local fishing company during his visit to the islands.

Thompson says the promised licence is in waters beyond Canada’s 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone, in a region Canada has claimed through the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

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She says the federal Fisheries Department is discussing its next steps with Global Affairs Canada.

Tony Wakeham, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, says he shares the federal government’s disappointment about France’s announcement.

He issued a statement saying France had no authority to make such a decision.

Snow crab is the province’s largest and most lucrative fishery, worth about $708 million in landed value in 2025, according to government figures.

Dwan Street, president of the union representing inshore fishers in Newfoundland and Labrador, said she didn’t foresee Canada allowing any French snow crab licences in the area.

“Those are Canadian resources,” she said in an interview, adding: “I’m fairly confident in Global Affairs Canada, and in speaking with the minister’s office, that this is very likely going to get dealt with quickly.”

Fishers from Saint Pierre and Miquelon have always been valuable partners to those in Newfoundland and Labrador, which made Macron’s decision to promise a licence without consulting Canada all the more baffling, she said. Fishers from the archipelago often sell their catch to Canadian processors, she added.

“They rely on Canadian ports for maintenance, for supplies, and all kinds of things other than off-loading the fish and getting it processed,” she said. “It is a strange one to throw this out there and try to jeopardize that relationship.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press