Ah, the serenity of fishing. Just an angler, a fishing pole, and maybe thousands of dollars worth of sonar equipment offering an exact image of what that walleye or bass is doing in the watery depths below. It's called forward-facing sonar, and the hot-selling products aren't only helping anglers increase their catch—they're raising questions about why people go fishing in the first place, and whether fish populations can survive the new technology, per the AP. "You've got people that are concerned about what's going to happen to the sport of fishing," says Gary Korsgaden, who has written about the sport for decades.
- How it works: Fish-finding sonar is typically mounted on the bow or back of a boat, sending out sound frequencies that are converted into a picture on a screen based on the time it takes the pings to hit the bottom and return. Earlier products would show where fish were located, but advancements now enable anglers to see images of fish in real time. Dave Dunn, a sales executive at Garmin, a company that manufactures the equipment, notes that the gear costs about $2,500 for a full setup and enables anglers to even see their lures and cast directly to fish.
- Growing popularity: Use of the technology is growing dramatically, with surveys in Minnesota finding that about 30% of anglers now use forward-facing sonar. The user rate was as high as 63% on one Minnesota lake last fall, per Walleye Alliance spokesperson Nate Blasing.
- Controversy: Much of the debate around forward-facing sonar plays out on social media, but also on podcasts, in online fishing forums, and at trade shows and tournaments. "It's much like politics now. It tends to get personal. You can agree to disagree," Blasing says. "I think the unfortunate reality is fishing has gotten to be more about, shall we say, success or numbers or quantity, that type of thing, instead of the actual enjoyment of the engagement and making decisions on your own," says Korsgaden.
- User review I: For Minnesota angler Terry Rehm, the new technology is invaluable. Rehm said he doesn't get a lot of lake time due to his work and kids' schedules, but forward-facing sonar ensures he makes good use of his time plying the waters. "It's just nice to be able to hone in on them a little quicker and ... catch more fish when I'm out here," he says.
- User review II: For Daren Schneider, a lifelong angler from Bismarck, North Dakota, forward-facing sonar has enhanced his understanding of fish and his enjoyment of fishing. "Fishing isn't necessarily about catching fish and getting your limit or whatever," he says. "It's about being out there and making memories, and if it's making memories with forward-facing sonar, why is that such a bad thing?"
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