Addressing multiple goals of ecosystem approach through deliberation and technology development

This paper studies two participatory processes to manage the interactions between seals and coastal fishing in Finland. One was a deliberative multi-stakeholder process, in which the stakeholders in a region approached the problem solving by joint problem definition. The other process was a technology development project to reduce the damage by seals and seal by-catch. This paper discusses the contribution of the processes to maintain economic viability of the coastal fishery without jeopardising the conservation of seals. It concludes that both processes address important aspects of maintaining a dynamic stability in a socio-ecological system of coastal fishing, but a combination of the approaches would better allow dealing with the problem's political aspects and fishing practices that are intertwined in various ways.