The area of the island of Newfoundland known as the French Shore or French Treaty Shore existed in two forms from 1713 - 1904. In its first form, the Shore stretched from Bonavista to Point Riche, covering the majority of the Great Northern Peninsula. This French Shore was negotiated and accepted with the Treaty of Utrecht and existed from 1713 - 1783.

During this time, there was very little friction or hostility between the French and the English in Newfoundland until war broke out in 1756. The lack of hostility was mostly due to the fact that the French concentrated their fishing efforts to the north of Cape St. John while the English fished to the south. There was a growing concern among the French that the English were making advances into Bonavista and Notre Dame Bays, which they did when the French temporarily stopped coming to Newfoundland during the Seven Years War ( 1756 - 1763 ).

Upon returning to the area after signing the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the French found that many English settlers and fishermen had occupied their territory and were not willing to turn it over. The French argued that the shore was exclusively theirs while the British maintained that the Treaty of Utrecht allowed for both to fish there. This difference of opinion has never been resolved.

At the end of the American Revolutionary War there was an attempt to solve the issue once and for all by redefining the French Shore in the Treaty of Versailles ( 1783 ). The shore now stretched from Cape St.John to Cape Ray, which left Bonavista and Notre Dame bays to the English, but offered the French on the west coast compensation. As well, there was a clause added that prevented the English from interfering with the French fishery. The French assumed this meant the British now recognized their exclusive right to fish on the shore.

Despite the decline in fishing operations, the French held onto their rights to the shore because they knew that they possessed a valuable bargaining chip when dealing with the British and knew they should hold out until adequate compensation could be offered by the British. The government in Newfoundland had to be actively involved in the negotiation process after 1857 and they did not want, in any way, to give the French any advantage into the North Atlantic Fishery. This included rights to bait and eliminating all French fishing subsidies.

Early in the 20th century the attitudes between all parties, French, British and Newfoundland developed into one of a more positive and cordial nature because Britain and France were settling disputes that had been raging for decades. The 1904 Anglo-French Convention, part of the "entente cordiale", provided that France would give up its rights in Newfoundland under the Treaty of Utrecht, though French nationals could continue to fish within the traditional limits. Britain agreed to pay financial compensation to French outfitters with premises on the Treaty Shore, and also ceded to France an area of land in West Africa. The convention remained in force until 1972.