🔍 Key Concepts

• Navigation Rules (COLREGS) Rule 26 – Fishing Vessels • Difference between lights for vessels engaged in fishing and trawling • Special additional light shown when fishing gear extends more than 150 meters horizontally from the vessel

💭 Think About

• First, recall what the standard red/white (or green/white) fishing lights indicate about the vessel’s status. Then, think: what extra light is required when the gear extends out a long distance? • Ask yourself: is that extra light the same color as the vessel’s normal navigation lights, or a special color to warn of an obstruction/gear in the water? • Consider whether the light in the direction of the gear is a single light or a pair of vertically aligned lights, and why that would matter for distinguishing it from other vessel types.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify in Rule 26 what color the additional light in the direction of the gear must be when the gear extends more than 150 m. • Check if Rule 26 specifies one light or two vertical lights for the gear direction indication. • Make sure you are not confusing this with the lights for towing astern or vessels restricted in their ability to maneuver, which use different color combinations.