Unlike other communities on the Cape Shore, which  were originally settled for farming, Branch was settled    for fishing.  This did not change greatly in the following years because fishing was very economically important to the future of the community.

    In the early years, fishermen could not sell their catch fresh, so they bled, gutted, salted and dried their fish.  This was a lengthy process because once the fish was gutted, it was left in salt bulk for two weeks.  The women were usually responsible for the curing of the catch.  This involved spreading and turning fish daily.  It was then culled, that is, separated into different qualities, before it was packed and sold to the fish merchants.

    Things changed very little until 1935 when the Cape Shore Development Committee was formed.  This group, led by four St.  John's men were promoting farming in this area.  One of the members was P.J Lewis.  Under Mr. Lewis' guidance the Cape Shore Development Committee set up a cooperative type fishery in Branch in 1936.  This cooperative got about 55 boats ready for the fishing season of 1936 on about $4,700.00.  Today's overhead for even one long liner is far greater than this amount.

      1952 saw the beginning of a new era when the first fish plant was opened in Branch.  It was called East Coast Fishery and was operated by the Bartletts of St.  John's.  This made it easier for the fishermen to sell their fish and provided excellent facilities for heavy salting of fish.  There was 14 full time workers and 30-40 part time workers all of whom worked for 50 cents an hour.  The part time workers cleaned and salted the fish when the boats came in.

     In 1977, after the plant's management had changed and improved, for both the fishermen and the workers, the Provincial Government built a fresh fish processing plant in Branch and leased it to the private sector.  This facility provided employment for the women and the men of the area.  Newfoundland Quick Freeze operated the plant until 1984.

    During the ‘84 season, a second buyer came to the Branch area - Woodman's Sea Products from New Harbor, Trinity Bay and began buying fish from about half the fishermen and trucking the fish to their own plants.  The fall of ‘84 saw the price of bait rise dramatically, which led to a poor fall fishery.   Also, in 1984, Bristol Fisheries, with Vincent Rugnetta as owner, from New Bedford, Massachusetts, took over the lease of the plant.  Although the plant did not operate to full capacity, it did provide much needed employment for the plant workers of the community.

    In the spring of 1986, the price of flounder rose from 14.5 cents per pound to 25 cents.  Catches were high and promised the beginning of a good fishing year.

    By 1987, however, Mr.  Rugnetta was trucking fish from St.  Bride's, as well, providing more employment.   Mr.  Rugnetta continued to be the operator for many years after that, too.

                                                                                                                                                           Picture of Plant:

                                                                                                                                                                    Fishermen