There’s no disputing that forward-facing sonar electronics are effective for finding and catching fish.

So effective, in fact, that at least 12 states are considering banning their use, as are several pro fishing tournaments. Mississippi has reduced its crappie limit because biologists say fishermen using the devices are taking too many fish.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, however, has no plan to regulate them following an extensive study titled “The Status of Live-Imaging Radar on Fish Populations in Tennessee.”

Pat Black, the TWRA’s Reservoir Fisheries Program Coordinator, says, “So far there are no indications of population-level effects from this technology.”

However, the dispute is not just over the fact that fishermen using the expensive, high-tech devices are catching too many fish, but that they are catching a disproportionate percentage of the fish – three times more, in the case of crappie – and hogging the resource.

Black believes other factors contribute to the wide gap in angler success, not just the fact that some can afford the devices (starting at around $2,500 and ranging up to $16,000) while others can’t.

There are also ethical concerns over what critics call “aquarium fishing.” That’s why several pro tournaments have banned, or are considering banning, sonar’s use.

Using forward-facing sonar, a moving boat can cover a vast amount of water to locate fish. Some images are so vivid that a fisherman can place a lure or bait directly in front of a fish 30 feet below.

Fishing electronics began with simple depth finders. Next came vertical radar that showed submerged structure. That led to forward-facing sonar that could detect structure and fish in a wide swath in front of a cruising boat. By watching the fish on the sonar screen, the angler could more effectively entice them to bite.

Longtime Kentucky Lake guide Steve McCadams opposes the use of the devices and disagrees with the TWRA’s assessment of its impact on crappie populations. So do many guides in other states.

Proponents, meanwhile, support the use of forward-facing sonar because it makes fishing much more productive.

And so the debate continues over the blurred boundaries between ethics and electronics – and also concern that fishing is becoming a sport for the wealthy.