The Coast Guard has selected Mike Rudolph to replace Dan Hardin as the Thirteenth District Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator. Mr. Rudolph brings 30 years of experience working with commercial fishermen in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. His tours of duty have included Valdez and Anchorage, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; and, for the past 17 years, Portland, Oregon.
Mr. Rudolph is an Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) certified marine safety instructor and has trained over 2,000 fishermen as drill conductors. In recent years, he has expanded his instructor credentials by adding fishing vessel stability and Marine Safety Instructor Training instructor to his repertoire. In his role at CFVS in Portland, Mike and his now retired co-worker, Curt Farrell, modeled how fishing vessel examiners can be a resource to commercial fishermen in Oregon, and across other districts.
Continuing with Mr. Hardin’s legacy website (www.FishSafeWest.info) Mr. Rudolph will take over its management and updates. Mike comments, “The website is a tremendous resource. Not just for fishermen with its vessel checklist generator, but for fishing vessel safety professionals, too. It is one of my go-to resources when I am looking for a reference or the latest information.”
One of Mr. Rudolph’s main areas of focus will be to improve collaboration and partnerships between the Coast Guard and the fishing industry and other stakeholders. “That starts with this position being accessible, visible and engaged in the issues,” Mike said.
Mr. Hardin retired from the Coast Guard in August 2023 after 50 years of combined active duty and civilian service. He spent the past 22 years as the District Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator. Mr. Rudolph takes over as the new District Coordinator in January 2024.