All groups of meso- and macro-zooplankton in the North Sea off Northumberland, at a depth of 53 m, were studied during a 15-year period (1969–83); copepod productivity was estimated from biomass and growth rates. Phytoplankton were seasonally bi-modal with peaks in April and August–October; copepods were uni-modal peaking in June–July. The predatory zooplankters: larval fish, decapods, ctenophores, medusae (the summer-autumn predators) peaked between May and September, while chaetognaths and euphausiids (the winter predators) peaked in December–January. Copepods and the summer-autumn predators were seasonally and inter-annually positively correlated, and declined in abundance from 1974 to 1980. Euphausiids and chaetognaths on the contrary increased in abundance during these years, and were seasonally and inter-annually negatively correlated to the copepods. The mean annual abundance of copepods was positively related to the previous winter's minimum, and inversely related to the abundance of chaetognaths and euphausiids. Annual copepod productivity averaged 1260 kJ m-2 year-1, and showed no relationship to other groups of plankton.