The way artisanal fishermen use natural resources is highly adaptable in space and time. In the Amazon region, the spatial distribution of the tropical fishing fleet is influenced by various environmental and anthropogenic variables. Environmental variables include river level variation, which affects accessibility to different habitats and species during seasonal changes, such as the flood pulse characterized by dry and wet phases, and interannual variability, influenced by ENSO (El Niño and La Niña) events in the Pacific Ocean. Anthropogenic variables, such as rising fuel prices and the creation of protected areas, also impact the distribution of the fishing fleet by limiting access to distant fishing grounds. This study investigated whether and how the spatial distribution of the Central Amazon Fishing Fleet (CAFF) was affected by a series of environmental and anthropogenic variables over an 11-year period (1994-2004). We analyzed an 11-year dataset of landings (1994-2004) from the artisanal commercial fishery in Manaus. Identifying habitat types, target species, hydrological anomalies, fuel price variation and the increase in Protected Area areas. In addition, we evaluated the drives that determine the distribution of CAFF. The results showed that there have been substantial changes in the spatio-temporal distribution of CAFF fishing effort due to the interaction between various environmental and anthropogenic factors, acting at various temporal and spatial scales.