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The present paper reports on temporalmesoscale (weeks) changes in physical and biological coupling in the cross-frontal area off the coast of Catalonia in Spain (NW Mediterranean) during the spring transition period. The effect of short-term physical variability on the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of phytoplankton biomass and in the area of overlap of the larvae of fish species dwelling on the shelf and slope is discussed. Our results indicate that the region off the Catalan coast is a dynamically active area during the spring transition period. Short-term spatio-temporal variability in the frontal system brought about significant changes in the extension of shelf and slope waters, giving rise to major changes in the spatial distribution patterns of chlorophyll and fish larvae. The relationship between integrated chlorophyll, surface chlorophyll and DCM (Deep Chlorophyll Maximum) showed important variability in a short time period. The area of overlap of the larvae of shelf and slope fish species was broad when the front was located offshore, compared to nearly complete segregation of shelf and oceanic fish larvae when the front moved inshore near the coast.