Report | February 5, 2018

Fisheries Restricted Areas

Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) are spatial management measures adopted under the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM) to regulate or restrict demersal fisheries in the high seas. Since 2006, a total of six FRAs have been established in the GFCM area, each under different management objectives. Three were established to protect Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs), while the other three were adopted to protect Essential Fish Habitats (EFHs). 

According to the last assessment, 97% of stocks assessed under GFCM purview are overexploited. In addition to the obligations established under the GFCM text agreement, Mediterranean ministers have recognised the urgency for intervention in the Mediterranean by signing the Malta MedFish4Ever Ministerial Declaration, and have established key steps to be undertaken without further delay in this region. In particular, reversing overexploitation of Mediterranean commercial fish stocks by adopting multi-annual management plans supported by complementary conservation measures to protect VMEs and EFHs through a network of FRAs.

French version: Zones de pêche à accès réglementé