TY - JOUR T1 - Investigating the coupling between small pelagic fish and marine top predators using data collected from ecosystem-based surveys A1 - Certain,Gregoire A1 - Masse,Jacques A1 - Van Canneyt,O. A1 - Petitgas,Pierre A1 - Doremus,G. A1 - Santos,M. B. A1 - Ridoux,Vincent AD - Norwegian Inst Nat Res NINA, N-7485 Trondheim, Norway. AD - IFREMER, F-44311 Nantes 3, France. AD - Ctr Rech Mammiferes Marins, F-17000 La Rochelle, France. AD - Ctr ocean Vigo, Inst Espanol Oceanog, Vigo 36200, Spain. UR - https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00031/14257/ DO - 10.3354/meps08932 KW - Marine top predators KW - Small pelagic fishes KW - Spatial associations KW - Temporal variability KW - Pelagic ecosystem KW - Bay of Biscay N2 - The present study is a general multivariate analysis of the spatial association between small pelagic fishes and their predators (seabirds, marine mammals and fisheries), using 6 yr (18000 km) of transects surveyed in spring in the Bay of Biscay, France. We describe 4 groups of prey-predator association, with explicit distinction of prey size: (1) terns and anchovies (10 to 15 cm), (2) common dolphins, common murres, sprat and sardine (<20 cm), (3) gannets, horse mackerel and mackerel (15 to 25 cm) and (4) bottlenose dolphin, horse mackerel and mackerel (25 to 40 cm). Our analysis also illustrates the great variability in these associations, with years of strong prey-predator associations followed by years of weak relationships. The analysis allows us to formulate predictions about the structure of the upper-pelagic food web in the Bay of Biscay in spring, and constitutes a good starting point for the analysis of data collected during ecosystem-based surveys in the Bay of Biscay. Y1 - 2011/01 PB - Inter-research JF - Marine Ecology-progress Series SN - 0171-8630 VL - 422 SP - 23 EP - 39 ID - 14257 ER -