Croque is a small community on the eastern side of the Great Northern Peninsula, situated along a hook-shaped bay. The name Croque probably comes from the old French croc, meaning boat-hook. In 1640, French ships sailing to the northeast French Shore were required to register at Croque harbour, earning Croque the name Capital of the French Shore. After signing in, the fishing ships were dispatched to the various harbours along the northeast French Shore. Croque later became the headquarters for French naval ships patrolling the French Shore to protect their fisheries from the British.

In the cemetery in Croque, you can see headstones of both French and English mariners from the 18th and 19th centuries. A French naval vessel, the Commandant Bourdais continued to sail regularly to Croque until the 1970s to tend the graves. Until the 1992 moratorium on fishing cod, the inshore fishery was the mainstay of the community. Residents harvested cod, salmon, seals, herring, mackerel, squid and lumpfish roe. A walk around town will take you to unique historic sites where you will find remnants of the French fishery and the 20th century resident fishery. Today's community continues to fish on a limited basis, and is developing a modest ecotourism industry.