Metatranscriptome samples from the SCOPE-Gradients 2 expedition (MGL1704) that cruised a transect following the 158th meridian west, from ~25 N to ~41 N, in the North Pacific between May 27 and June 13, 2017. Triplicate seawater samples (approx. 10 liters each) were from the depth of the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) at four different stations, as determined by CTD cast. Each sample was pre-filtered through a 100 micrometer mesh, collected sequentially onto 3.0 and 0.2 micrometer polycarbonate filters, and then flash frozen in liquid nitrogen. After the cruise, whole community RNA was extracted from filters and depleted for ribosomal RNA prior to sequencing, resulting in libraries dominated by prokaryotic RNA.