The presence of French fishermen on the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador has roots far back in the history of the province. When Jacques Cartier made his first voyage in these waters in 1534, he sailed into bays which already bore French names - Brest in Labrador, Dégrat, Saint-Nicolas, and found there ships from diverse French home ports, the proof that fishermen had awaited neither maps, nor explorers before coming to Newfoundland to fish for cod, seal and, in the case of the Basques from Bayonne and Spain, whale.

As time passed, France affirmed its presence in Newfoundland, Labrador and in all of Acadia. In 1713, having lost much in the Treaty of Utrecht, the French concentrated their efforts in Newfoundland. This was the beginning of the French Shore, whose boundaries would be modified over the years, by wars and treaties between the two great powers, France and England.

Please select a section in the left menu to begin.