Link: Homer News Homer is the only Alaska port city that operates its own ice plant, and the plant is well on its way to a record year. As of Aug. 23, the city had sold about $400,000 worth of ice to the halibut industry this season. That represented 3,458 tons of ice, near the 1999 record of 5,231 tons and with months left to go in the season. The plant was built in 1983 and has become "an integral part of the halibut fishery. The ice plant's role to the fisheries has really grown to where it's really key to the whole operation," said harbor master Bryan Hawkins. Ice can be delivered into shipping totes or right into the ship's hold.