This is found on W8JI's web page.
Drift Net or Fishing Buoy Transmitters
These transmitters send periodic identifiers that repeat along with a
carrier and long pauses. They generally have numbers in the identifier,
repeat the identifier in groups of three, and then have long silent periods.
They are battery powered and low power, but they can be heard for hundreds
or thousands of miles. They are most frequently found between 1.8 and 3.6
MHz, and are very common on the 160-meter band.
The identifier has nothing to do with the location, it is something
programmed by the manufacturer, installer, or his technical support. They
often contain a receiver and can be turned off and on remotely by the owner.
The most effective way to get rid of one is to operate on or very close to
the beacon frequency. It takes some period of time, but if the owner can't
hear the beacon reliably he will program a new frequency. Several nights of
heavy activity near a beacon often results in a channel switch.
The same is true for illegal fishing vessel transmitters. They often
coordinate operation on or near a beacon's frequency on USB. They often take
the hint they are operating illegally when they hear legal activity on or
near their frequency. Illegal marine operations often occur on 160 and 80
meters. It isn't always the Japanese or Korean boats that are problem, there
are fishing boats based out of Canada and the United States operating on
illegal frequencies.
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