2.3.2. Estimation of bycatch rates(Table 3).The rate of bycatch was computed as the number of sea turtles and seabirds caught per 1000 hooks for each stratum based on the data collected by observers. The bycatch rate and variation was estimated for each strata by the binomial estimator with Clopper–Pearson confidence intervals using the R program. To determine potential significant differences among areas, and the seasons, a nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test was applied, as the data were not normally distributed.Considering that bycatch rates are important for each species, we estimated bycatch rates for sea turtles by species. The seabird species is more diverse and some species could not be identified by observers. Thus, seabirds are separated into four groups, includ ing large, medium, and small albatrosses, and other seabirds. The seabird groups are listed in.