Passenger Photographed Mysterious South China Sea Lights
The green lights observed from an aircraft were identified as high-powered lamps used by squid fishing vessels.
Updated on Oct. 4, 2026 in Environmental
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Should governments place stricter regulations on high-powered night fishing lights to prevent overfishing?
A passenger flying from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou recently captured images of mysterious green lights glowing over the South China Sea. Experts have identified these clusters as illumination from commercial squid fishing fleets.
Why it matters
The practice allows fishermen to attract plankton and small fish to the surface, facilitating the capture of squid in deep waters. The widespread visual effect is caused by the light reflecting off both the water and low-hanging cloud cover.
Squid fishing vessels utilize up to 1,000 lamps per boat to generate as much as 500 kilowatts of illumination. NASA has previously documented similar green light clusters off the coast of Thailand via the International Space Station.
The players
NASA
The United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program and aeronautics research.
International Space Station
A modular space station in low Earth orbit that serves as a research laboratory for multiple scientific disciplines.
The details
Fishing boats operating near the Malaysian coast deploy massive arrays of high-powered lamps to attract marine life. These clusters of light create a significant visual phenomenon that can be clearly observed from high-altitude aircraft.
Timeline
In 2012, approximately 400 vessels were identified using green fishing lamps.
By 2020, the number of vessels utilizing these lamps increased to roughly 2,000.
A passenger observed and photographed the lights on October 4, 2026.
Deeper Dive
This sighting follows a pattern set by the International Space Station's nocturnal earth observation program, which has previously identified similar light clusters. These observations help scientists track the evolution of commercial maritime activities and their resulting environmental footprint.
The visual phenomenon provides a rare glimpse into the scale of modern industrial fishing practices visible from the sky. Understanding these light patterns helps researchers assess how technological advancements in fishing equipment influence marine ecosystem management.
The takeaway
The green lights are not an atmospheric anomaly but rather a deliberate commercial tool used to lure marine life to the surface. Travelers crossing maritime regions at night may continue to encounter these bright, man-made clusters as squid fishing fleets expand their operations.
Further reading
Learn more about maritime impacts on the ecosystem in our Environmental section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dimsum Daily.
Live Poll
Should governments place stricter regulations on high-powered night fishing lights to prevent overfishing?
