The published version of this article is copyrighted by Inter-Research and can be found here: \ud http://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/meps-home/Eastern boundary current (EBC) upwelling zones are among the most productive of marine ecosystems globally and have been generalized in terms of their food web structure. Little empirically based evidence exists to suggest that there is any one form of trophic control of EBC systems and, because of logistical constraints, knowledge of food web structure is limited in these large marine ecosystems. To determine principal trophic links within the pelagic food web, we combined stable isotope and diet analysis of 21 dominant species of nekton found within the northern California Current, a highly produ...