Spotlights over Pacific

[Bob Dylan]

Saw the 'red light city' in the middle of the Pacific last night. Yeah it looks strange. There was another fishing operation to the south with white lights blazing.

Nobody spotlighted us, though.

 

[halfbank]

The lights were there a few nights ago also... Spotlights did get annoying!

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
After more than a couple of forays into the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, South China Sea, etc... It isn't at all uncommon to see what you all have described. Depending on the time of year it's often squid that they are after. Many a night I spent trying to sort out the surface radar picture with all those boats out there! Major pain in the keister!

 

[belchfire]

One of you guys needs to get a handheld marine VHF, listen around for the channel with the chatter on it and when they spotlight you key up and say "Bomb Bay doors open...pickle pickle pickle!!!"

 

[FearlessFreep]

Squid Boats. The lights bring the squid to the surface.

Here is a little story with a different view of the lights:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/0003/inroads029.htm

 

[avpro91]

They're not spotlighting you. The lights are for the fish. They don't even notice us when we go over every night.

 

[belchfire]

They're not spotlighting you. The lights are for the fish. They don't even notice us when we go over every night.

With the lights pointed up?

Maybe they're whale hunting!

hehehehe

 

[b707guy]

Good thing SWA doesn't go overseas with their Shamu painted airplane! INCOMING!!!

Those fleets are quite a sight.

 

[Fedora]

I saw something on Dicovery channel the other day showing how they caught fish using lights. The fishing boat points a lot of lights at the water to attract fish to it. They then launch a small boat with a light on it, and turn the lights off on the mother craft (or maybe up?) the small boat lures the fish away from the larger boat, which then drops a net in a circle around the small boat, then drags in the fish. They were doing this to get small bait fish for the tuna fleet in the show I was watching. Could be way off here or not (It was an Aussie fishing method), but I thought I'd drop the info here.