Having read Professor Hugon's informative paper on ‘Navigation in the French merchant navy’ and in particular his remarks regarding the cluttering of the 182 kHz band, I would hazard a guess that he has not listened to the v.h.f. channel 16 band in recent years, when clear of the U.K. and continental areas.

In the open sea well away from land this channel is not often abused, but off the West African coast between about 13° N. and 22° N. the air at night is, more often than not, cluttered with noises like animal and bird calls for long periods on channel 16, and during the day with lengthy chitchat, possibly between foreign fishermen, on this and other channels.