Halibut ecology, economics and policy, a community fish fry, a 5K run on the Homer Spit and were all part of the festivities Sept. 19-20 as the halibut fishing capital of the world celebrated its first Homer Halibut Festival.

The event was hosted by the Alaska Marine Conservation Council as an opportunity for the community to celebrate the iconic halibut resources of Homer and Alaska.

All events were free and open to the public.

Commercial and sport fishing are the foundation of Homer's economy, which is primarily driven by seafood and visitor industries, as noted in a recent economic report prepared by the McDowell Group in Juneau.

Homer and the seafood industry together benefit from Homer's well developed marine support sector, which provides products and services to nearly 500 commercial fishing vessels based in Homer, plus a number of small to mid-sized commercial boats from around the state.

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