This map service is a synthesis of the baseline characterization of kelp and shallow rock ecosystems inside and outside of several North Central Coast (NCC) MPAs at the time of their implementation. MPAs in the NCC study region (NCCSR) were implemented on May 1, 2010. Baseline characterizations were conducted by the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) between August and October of 2010 and 2011. Visual SCUBA surveys took place at sites within MPAs and at their associated reference sites (sites outside MPA) to establish quantitative baselines for measuring future MPA effects (i.e., changes in community structure due to MPA implementation). This particular map service focuses on PISCO's characterization of fish communities aimed at estimating fish densities and fish size distribution. Refer to the following link for specifics regarding PISCO's “fish survey design” and “fish sampling methodology”: https://piscoweb.org/kelp-forest-sampling-protocols.Surveys for baseline characterization of kelp forest communities focused on the following MPAs: Point Arena SMR; Sea Lion Cove SMCA; Saunders Reef SMCA; Del Mar SMR; Stewarts Point SMR/SMCA; and Salt Point SMCA. From Point Arena to Salt Point, 35 cells (fundamental sampling units) were sampled via fish transects (inside and outside of MPAs) using stratified sampling across shore and at various depths in the kelp forests (5m, 10m, 15m and 20m). Utilizing PISCO's GPS coordinates of the 35 study cells (points), and details from PISCO's methods (see link above), we created estimated footprints of the areas in which these transects were surveyed (the 35 fundamental sampling units). From there, we also estimated the aggregated site polygons (aggregate sampling units) that comprise either an MPA or an MPA reference site; this resulted in 12 new polygons that were representative of the kelp and shallow rock ecosystems surveyed by PISCO. Stewarts Point SMR and SMCA are combined in the survey summaries to make up one of the ‘aggregate sampling units’ and therefore those feature classes have 11 instead of 12 features.These estimated study areas (fundamental and aggregate sampling units) were then used to synthesize and represent PISCO's fish survey results into the following map service product. The map service is a conglomeration of fish density and fish length metrics for the regions most abundant rockfish and non-rockfish species. The original PISCO data set used to comprise this map service can be found and downloaded at the following Ocean Spaces link: http://oceanspaces.org/data/north-central-coast-pisco-surveys-fish-shallow-rocky-reefs-and-kelp-forest-habitats-2010-2011.The complete ESRI ArcMap project and source summary data can be downloaded at the following California Department of Fish and Wildlife link: ftp://ftp.wildlife.ca.gov/R7_MR/BIOLOGICAL/NCCSR_MPAbaseline_PISCOsubtidal_2010-2011.zip