Observations on ASDEX Upgrade show that fishbones can have a much strongereffect on the background plasma parameters than expected from an ideal,fast particle driven instability. They lead to a redistribution of electrontemperature and impurity densities, similar in form and magnitude tosawteeth, albeit with the plasma parameter variation occurring on asignificantly longer time-scale. Simulations of the current diffusion indischarges with favourable core confinement require fishbones to befurthermore associated also with magnetic reconnection to yield consistencybetween the conductivity and current profile information derived from ECE,bremsstrahlung, MSE and the localization of m = 1,n = 1 activity.