Feeding relationships between the benthic infauna and the dominant benthic fish of the Rance Estuary (France)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The maritime basin of the Ranee occupies one of the largest rias of northern Brittany (France) and since 1967, has been the location of a tidal power station. At a high tide height of 13.5 m above chart datum the basin occupies an area of 22 km² within which Retière (1979) recognized a maritime part of about 17 km² in extent, where bottom salinities range from 30 to 35‰, an estuarine part with salinities between 20-30‰,, of about 4 km² and an inner estuary of limited area (1.5 km²) and reduced salinities (less than 20‰).