The area has been filled in with silt and clay, leaving only the minor Broälven river in the middle of the former north part of the fjord.

On Broberg hill are the remnants of a 12th-century fort and the oldest parts of the nearby Bro Church, are from the Middle Ages.

The salted herring was sold to traders from Germany and Holland, and the train oil was exported to London, Paris and New York to be used in street lamps.

The purest oil, filtrated ten times, was produced at Norra Grundsund just south of the mouth of Brofjorden.

Quays and jetties were built at places such as Skalhamn, Fiskebäcksvik, Sjöbol, Lahälla, Rixö, Vinbräcka, Hjälmedal, Sandvik, Loddebo, Ingeröd, and Krabbevik.

[6] The steep cliffs also allowed ships to moor right by the shores and fill their fresh water supply directly from the small waterfalls that formed after heavy rain, instead if carry it aboard manually.

[6] During World War II, Brofjorden served as a storage site for part of Operation Bridford.

The fjord was deep and wide enough to accommodate large oil tankers, while Hisingen provided an already exploited area with infrastructure on land.

[8] On 25 November 1970, the government voted in favor of the Brofjorden site and in September 1971, permission was granted to OK to start building the refinery.

The product terminal jetties located on the south shore of the Trommekilen part of the fjord, are a total of 380 m (1,250 ft) and can accommodate tankers up to 80,000 dwt.

Ryxö, sometimes spelt Rixö, established in 1968 with an area of 61 ha (150 acres), is an island in the middle of the fjord.

The central part is the island has a deciduous forest, mainly oaks and meadows intersected by steep cliffs.