A general understanding of which environmental and community structure factors drive zooplankton biomass production rates across north temperate lake types is still very limited. We approached this issue by measuring in situ rates of crustacean zooplankton production in 99 boreal lakes in Quebec, Canada using a novel biochemical technique. The relationship between the measured rates, local and catchment level environmental factors and zooplankton community structure were examined to: (i) identify the relative and total influences of environmental factors and community structure on production rates; and (ii) develop predictive models. We found that crustacean zooplankton production rates were higher in smaller lakes located in catchments characterized by a greater proportion of wetlands, higher water temperatures and phytoplankton biomass. Intrinsically (community structure), production was higher in communities with greater standing biomass and composed of smaller individuals.