Give them away.

"I thought, boy, that much fish would be of more use out in the community than the pair of gloves I could buy with that $15," Fry said.

Friday about noon, after Fry sets aside the first 250-300 pounds of pinks for the Homer Food Pantry, she and other fishermen in her group will be giving away leftover pink salmon. Families looking to put a little protein on the table can pick up pink salmon at the F/V Realist at C Float -- the float near the Salty Dawg ramp.

"They're beautiful fish. They're nice, bright pinks," Fry said.

Fry gave away a batch of fish earlier this week after putting notices on local radio stations. Demand was so strong she even gave away some red and silver salmon she'd set aside for her own freezer. With more pink salmon expected on fishing this week, Fry and other boats in her group -- the F/V Maria B, the F/V Talisman and the F/V Riprunner -- decided to donate pinks to the Homer Food Pantry.

They'll bleed, clean, head and gut the pinks, and Bart Chow has agreed to store and ice the fish at Ed's Processing until delivery Monday through the Homer Food Pantry. Fry said boats in her group expect to catch about 500 pounds of pinks. The fishermen target the more lucrative silver salmon, now paying about $1.05 a pound at the dock, but also catch some pinks at the same time.

Some people have a negative image of commercial fishermen as being greedy, Fry said.

"We live in the community year round," she said. "We see this as an opportunity to change that image and give back to the people who support us the rest of the year."

Fishermen aren't the only food producers giving away excess food during the bountiful summer season. The Homer Food Pantry also collects fresh produce from private gardeners and farmers through the Harvest of Hope booth at the Homer Farmers' Market from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. Food is distribute through the Food Pantry Monday's at Homer United Methodist Church.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.