Jeremy Smith: Time to take a pinpointed approach to managing forward-facing sonar

Technology and the fishing industry go hand in hand. With every season, new concepts hit the market, hoping to make their mark. Perhaps the most impactful innovation of the past decade lies in the electronics arena – specifically in live- or so-called forward-facing sonar.

There’s no question it’s the most powerful tool to ever hit fishing. Not only does it help anglers find fish, but the information gleaned from such technology is far beyond what many thought possible. With such capability, the learning curve for anglers has been shortened drastically.

Along with power comes controversy. There’s never been a more controversial fishing product to reach the masses. As is the case with so many other hot-button issues, opinions surrounding this topic vary greatly.

You have those who love it, those who hate it, and those whose opinions lie somewhere in between. The problem with such a topic is that everyone is right and everyone is wrong. It’s still new, and we still have a lot to learn about it.

The truth of the matter is that it’s a super-complex topic. That being said, it’s one that the angling community needs to discuss. As an angling community, we need to start having real conversations regarding forward-facing sonar and the implications that come with it.

I’m a user of such technology.

Plain and simple, it’s downright amazing. As stated, it’s the most effective tool the fishing industry has ever seen. But, with great power comes great responsibility.

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As an entire industry, we need to start talking about the “what-ifs.” In comparison to the hunting industry, fishing is far behind when it comes to having such conversations. As new technologies hit the market, those in the hunting realm discuss how such products will affect the sport. As a result, new rules, regulations, and restrictions are implemented as deemed necessary.

In a perfect world, we could simply rely on the ethics of anglers to keep things in check. But, as we’ve seen over and over again, fishermen don’t always do the best job of policing themselves.

We need common-sense rules and regulations in place to protect our fisheries for the future. I’m not talking broad regulations, like an all-out ban on such technologies, but more pinpointed restrictions that focus on specific scenarios, fish species, water bodies, and so forth.

Every lake is different, which is why a more isolated approach is necessary.

There are a lot of people who have an appetite to restrict the use of such technology. The muskie-fishing community is one of the most outspoken. And in my mind, rightfully so.

Unlike other species, muskies are particularly vulnerable to the use of forward-facing sonar. They reside in rather predictable locations and, due to their size, they show up on screen much better than do other species.

Do we really want to reduce a fish as remarkable and sporting as a muskie to just a blip on a screen?

Is forward-facing sonar responsible for ruining fisheries? The short answer is no. But, with such tools being used by more anglers, there is the potential for some serious harm.

Someone needs to take a shot at implementing some restrictions in an experimental way that can be measured both biologically and socially. We can only hope that agencies, organizations, and workgroups can work together to find solutions that make the most sense.

The thoughts and feelings surrounding such a polarizing topic need to be organized in a productive manner. It can’t just be noise all over the place.

Please understand that this is not in any form an anti-forward-facing sonar rant. Rather, it’s a message to the angling community: We need to start taking this seriously.