Meta-analysis (inverse-variance, random-effects model) involving 46 studies was used to estimate the effect size of postrelease mortality (Fr) in six istiophorid billfish species (black marlin (Istiompax indica), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), longbill spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri), sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), striped marlin (Kajikia audax), and white marlin (Kajikia albida)) following release from recreational, longline, and harpoon fishing gears. The studies involved 400 reporting pop-up satellite archival tags and 64 reporting acoustic (ultrasonic) tags. Despite fish being captured, tagged, and released under widely disparate conditions, locations, and gear types, Fr was homogeneous among species. Variability in Fr was principally due to random sampling error within studies with no evident patterns. Fifteen studies (33% of tags) indicated no mortality, and the overall summary effect size for Fr was 13.5% (95% CI: 10.3%–17.6%). Since the random-effects model decomposed to a fixed-effect model when the between-studies variance T2 = 0.00, results were confirmed using exact nonparametric inferential tests and sensitivity analyses. Our results support earlier findings in the Atlantic and substantiate the majority of istiophorid billfish survive when released from recreational and longline fishing gear, clearly implying catch-and-release as a viable management option that permits fishing activity while protecting parental biomass and the fishery.
