Table 1. Description of the 12 sampled stations.

Stations	Name	Latitude	Longitude	Annual Temp	Annual chloro	n (VB)	age max (VB)	n (DG)	age max (DG)
1	Vigo	42°23′N	8°71′W	15.28	4.84	71	7	11	4
2	Ile de Ré	46°20′N	1°40′W	15.18	3.98	51	6	15	3
3	Rade de Brest	48°23′N	4°28′W	13.23	3.14	60	6	32	4
4	Baie de Seine	49°50′N	0°19′W	13.00	7.37	52	6	29	3
5	Plymouth	50°20′N	4°08′W	13.49	2.34	30	6	18	4
6	Holyhead	53°03′N	4°42′W	11.37	2.98	34	9	14	4
7	Scarborough	54°19′N	0°06′E	10.51	4.03	51	7	17	5
8	Campbell town	55°26′N	5°31′W	10.42	9.31	50	7	27	4
9	Austevoll	60°06′N	5°10′E	7.92	6.54	13	7	38	6
10	Bessaker	64°15′N	10°19′E	8.46	6.28	33	9	15	6
11	Bronnoyusund	65°27′N	11°25′E	7.62	2.44	50	10	8	5
12	Traena	66°30′N	12°21′E	8.01	1.26	50	11	23	6

Main geographic characteristics of the study stations are detailed (latitude, longitude, annual average temperature and chlorophyll a concentrations) as the number of individuals used for estimating parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth model and used for estimating the mean growth trajectory and the maximum age observed in the two analyses.