A Homer seafood plant would pass to Silver Bay amid an OBI takeover

Control of a seafood processing site on the Homer Spit would pass from OBI Seafoods to Silver Bay Seafoods under a resolution the Homer City Council takes up Monday. The move assigns the ground lease, which runs through 2036 with options toward 2046, at a base rent of about $70,000 a year.

Silver Bay is absorbing OBI Seafoods across Alaska. It announced it will acquire "the interest in OBI Seafoods formerly owned by Icicle Seafoods" and manage all OBI facilities and operations. The Homer site itself passed from Icicle to OBI in 2020.

That consolidation has drawn pushback from some Alaska fishermen and plant workers, who have argued in online industry forums that folding OBI's plants into a single corporate model could override locally negotiated practices on wages and scheduling.

The assignment sits on the council's consent agenda, meaning it passes without debate unless a member pulls it for discussion. Residents can still speak during public comment when the meeting opens at 6 p.m. Monday in the Cowles Council Chambers. The agenda notes comment was received but doesn't say what, and neither company has responded.