In the heart of Stonington, Maine, fishing is more than a career; it’s a way of life.
Two men from the town saw a gap in the industry and set out to fill it. Pat Shepard and Josh Duym, the founders of REDDE Marine Safety, grew up on the water, one from a fishing family and the other from a boat-building background. They both knew firsthand the struggles fishermen face in staying compliant with regulations, and they built a business designed to take that burden off their shoulders.
The meaning behind REDDE came from a Norwegian word pronounced ‘reda,’ meaning to keep safe. As the two were considering naming the company, Shepard's wife advised them to explore other languages to find something that would stick.
Shepard’s journey started young. “From about the time I was able to crawl, I was on my father’s lobster boat,” he said. By the time he was eight, he and his brother went lobstering, hauling their own traps before most kids were even thinking about chores — a common thing on Maine’s coast. Duym, on the other hand, came from the world of maritime operations, with his father being a boatbuilder. He progressed in his career by working on tugboats, oil transport, and ship assistance as a merchant mariner. He saw how large fleets managed safety efficiently and how small, independent fishermen often struggled to do the same.
REDDE Marine Safety was born out of that realization. “All we’ve ever heard our whole lives growing up around fishermen is that they just want to get on the boat, turn the key, and go,” Duym shared. The duo saw an opportunity to apply fleet management principles to independent owner-operators, ensuring that safety compliance didn’t get in the way of making a living.
Their mission is simple: make fishermen’s lives easier by handling the safety and compliance work that often gets pushed aside in the daily grind of running a boat. “We’re here so fishermen don’t have to worry about tracking expiration dates on their safety gear, scheduling inspections, or realizing too late that something isn’t up to code,” Shepard said. “We take care of that so they can focus on fishing.”
Their approach is straightforward but game-changing. They offer a free safety audit, record all vessel compliance data, and then provide a customized annual service to keep everything up to code. “We’re not just giving you a sticker and walking away,” Duym said. “We’re keeping you compliant all year, so you’re not scrambling when the Coast Guard shows up.”
The benefits go beyond convenience. Many fishermen don’t realize their gear is failing until it’s too late. “We’ve found four or five EPIRBs that wouldn’t have worked in an emergency,” Duym shared. “That’s a serious issue.” Small things, like upgrading a first aid kit from a handful of Band-Aids to something that can handle real injuries, can make a difference. “We’ve had guys send us pictures of their wrapped-up hands with a ‘thank you’ text because they actually had the right supplies on board.”
Another challenge the two address is mindset. Many fishermen take pride in their independence and skill, which are essential in this trade. However, acknowledging possible gaps in safety preparedness makes the independent mindset even more challenging. “We’re trying to shift this thinking — this isn’t about questioning fishermen’s ability; it’s about making sure you get home at the end of the day,” Duym stated.
Since its launch, REDDE has grown from a handful of boats in the Stonington area to over 100 clients, and the company is still expanding. One annual fee covers all compliance needs, from life raft servicing to fire extinguisher replacements. “The cost of our service is nothing compared to getting sent home in the middle of the season because you’re not compliant,” Duym said.
REDDE’s system is designed to be seamless, eliminating stress and making vessel management as easy as possible. “We record everything in our system and schedule replacements before something expires,” Shepard said. “It’s about being proactive.”
Although the company is currently focused on Maine and New England, they see potential for future expansion. “Owner-operator fisheries exist everywhere — from Alaska’s longliners to Nova Scotia lobstermen,” Duym said. It isn’t just about being a centrally Maine business; it’s about making commercial fishing safer.
At the end of the day, their goal is to build more than just service; they want to create a support network. “We don’t want to be some faceless compliance company,” Shepard noted. “We want our guys to feel like we’ve got their back. That’s how this industry survives, by looking out for each other.”
