Temperature, salinity, fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen were investigated together with the vertical distribution of four taxa to discuss the reason for diel vertical migration (DVM). Copepods and chaetognatha performed typical DVM, but only a small part of the population appeared under 40 m. Gelatinous zooplanktons aggregated at the surface water layer shallower than 30 m. DVM of euphausiacea remained uncertain because of the small number of individuals investigated in the study. Our study confirmed that VPR could be used as a valuable tool to study zooplankton DVM. DVM of most zooplankton living in the coastal area of the East China Sea might be affected by multiple environmental elements, such as feeding activities, predator presenting, stratification of water column, and energy utilization.