The MHA holds record collections for many Newfoundland and Labrador firms involved in the international saltfish trade. These 19th and early 20th century collections provide researchers with insight into the complexities of the salt cod trade at the community level. They allow for an exploration of the relationship between merchants and their fishing clients, including the merchant credit (truck) system that served as the principal organization of labour and medium of exchange in the outport economy throughout the saltfish era.
The MHA modified its collections policy in recent years to place more emphasis on records from firms active in the fresh frozen codfish industry that succeeded the saltfish trade during the post-World War II period. It now has a limited number of collections for these firms, along with some for the marketing agencies that tried to bolster the saltfish trade during that decline.
In addition, the MHA holds microfilm copies of business papers of shipowners and merchants of the Canadian maritime provinces, collected by Memorial University's maritime historians for the Atlantic Canada Shipping Project. Through a joint microfilming project with the Essex Institute of Massachusetts, the MHA also acquired microfilm copies of business papers of 18th century New England fish merchants, some of whom carried on an active trade in Newfoundland and Labrador.
