Summary
A meta-analysis of 15 papers examined the general impact of seabird bycatch reduction device (BRD) technology on commercial longline fishing operations. Since there were relatively few papers with data suitable for meta-analysis, the researchers pooled studies with BRD-and fishery-related metrics included as covariates. The analysis found a small (9%) increase in target catch with BRD use in longline fisheries, while seabird bycatch was reduced by 89%. This pattern does not change with respect to geographic location or BRD type, indicating that efforts to reduce seabird bycatch are generally effective under different conditions.