Nearer to shore there is still relatively little understanding of benthic communities. It appears from research in progress that fishing-generated changes to the seabed differ in different areas according to the characteristics of the gear, the site and their interaction. In some environments, change is only observable after the repeated passage of trawls or dredges. Additionally, natural environmental variability is often greater than fishing-induced change. By affecting rainfall and nutrient runoff, ENSO events influence the productivity of fisheries in northern Australia, such as the Northern Prawn Fishery .
ENSO effects are strongest at the equator but are dissipated at higher latitudes.
The influences on fisheries along the eastern Australian seaboard are apparent but not clearly understood. Pulses of warm, tropical water dominate conditions off southeastern Australia. Those strong seasonal patterns interact with longer-term effects like ENSO events. Oceanographic conditions that affect fish abundance and fishing success include water temperatures, current strengths and productivity.