Summary
This is a meta-analysis that quantified the effects of 42 technical measures on the target catch and the bycatch of seabirds, elasmobranchs, marine mammals and sea turtles, evaluating which methods were most effective at mitigating bycatch of each fauna group. Overall, mitigation methods reduced bycatch while having no statistically significant effect on the target catch, and sensory-based measures (e.g. pingers, blue-dyed bait) generally outperformed physical-based measures (e.g. circle hook, larger mesh) in reducing bycatch.