At the interface between fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation, among different types of tools, spatial-based measures – namely zoning and area-time-gear type closures – are among the oldest forms of fisheries management. With the move of fishery management towards the ecosystem approach to fisheries – that is, a broader conception of ecosystem well-being – the use of spatial management tools is becoming more prevalent.

Through its ecosystem approach to fisheries, the GFCM has adopted Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) in order to protect sensitive deep-sea habitats, such as vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) and essential fish habitats (EFHs). According to this definition, an FRA can potentially be established to protect any kind of marine resource and habitat (e.g. aggregations of vulnerable sponges, seamount areas, coralligenous formations, seagrass meadows, spawning grounds and reproduction sites for fish resources, etc.) from fishing activities.

The GFCM also adopts temporal and spatial measures, including to reduce fishing pressure during particular periods (e.g. at spawning time or for juvenile fish) or to increase protection of particular seasons (e.g. during migrations of vulnerable species). These measures are sometimes incorporated in GFCM multiannual management plans or taken into account in FRAs, and in a few cases are used on a stand-alone basis.