 Newfoundland was a British colony, but Britain had other priorities when negotiating fishing rights, and did little to protect the Newfoundland fishery.In 1857 Britain signed an agreement allowing the French jurisdiction over an area of the shoreline where the fish were cured, and giving them the right to run off any vessels that were impeding their fishing activities.To minimize this interference in their own fishery, the Newfoundland Assembly introduced the first Bait Act in 1886, making it illegal to sell bait to French fishermen, but Britain refused to give its required agreement until this act was modified in 1887.