Zooplankton play a central role as ecological/environmental indicator of the good environmental state sensu Marine Strategy Framework Directive. One of the main challenges in their practical application is the quantitative evaluation of zooplankton production with a frequency matching the spatial and temporal scales of phytoplankton variability. For this purpose indirect methods of production assessment are needed. Zooplankton production along the southeastern Spanish coast, from Algeciras to Cartagena was determined from measurements of biomass and AARS activity. The relationships between zooplankton biomass and growth variability and the hydrochemistry and trophic conditions were studied. Zooplankton had overall lower biomass-specific growth rates in Algeciras Bay and the central Alboran Sea than in the eastern stations. However, zooplankton biomass and abundance were significantly higher in the Bay of Málaga. As a result, the zooplankton community in these coastal waters presented the highest production rates of the study area.