Senator presses Ottawa on disputed Machias Seal Island

Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Dastan Shanay

Canadian Senator Jim Quinn of New Brunswick has called on the federal government to more clearly assert Canada’s sovereignty over Machias Seal Island, a small uninhabited island located between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, the BBC reported.

Both the U.S. and Canada claim sovereignty over the rocky island. While it has no permanent residents, it is staffed by rotating Canadian Coast Guard crews who maintain a lighthouse built by Canada in 1832.

Quinn raised the issue after criticizing a US-based boat tour operator, Bold Coast Charter Company, which describes Machias Seal Island on its website as being «on the Maine Coast.» He questioned why Canadian authorities allow the company to visit the island and why it is listed on a federal government website as one of the two tour operators permitted to access the site.

Although small and unsuitable for habitation, the island plays a significant role as a migratory bird sanctuary and is home to one of the southernmost Atlantic puffin colonies. The surrounding waters are also rich fishing grounds.

The dispute comes amid broader strains in relations between the neighboring North American countries. Tensions have increased since last spring, when US President Donald Trump criticized Canada over trade and suggested the country could become the 51st state of the United States.