MPA Watch volunteers observe California’s beaches and bluffs inside and outside MPAs, recording all offshore and onshore coastal activities. Volunteers are trained to recognize different types of activities and to record their observations on data sheets. Volunteers record consumptive activities such as commercial fishing, shore fishing, and clamming, and non-consumptive activities such as swimming, SCUBA diving, and tide pooling. All data undergo rigorous quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols by coordinating organizations before being accepted and shared with users such as state coastal managers and environmental researchers.