This project was undertaken to improve understanding of the human effect and implications of a system of marine reserves established along the Central Coast of California during the mid- and late 2000s. The resulting reports provide: a) detailed description of long-term trends and conditions among fishing fleets and supporting industries along the Central Coast; b) in-depth discussion of the physical-environmental, economic, and regulatory challenges encountered by the participants over time, and the strategies typically undertaken to meet them; c) spatial and narrative analysis of the implications of regulatory impacts with special attention to MPA-induced changes observed or reported by scores of trusted research participants and d) a methodological template and set of indicators needed to effectively monitor the long-term biological and socioeconomic effects of reserves along the Central Coast and elsewhere in California.