It could if taken to excess, but so could rod-and-reel, trotline, or jug fishing. Dead catfish don’t spawn, and the noodlers I know release just about everything (not that there are many noodlers out there anyway). I’ve heard opponents say that catching catfish off the nest causes them to abandon it, but that’s just not universally true. We’ve tagged flatheads for years, and have caught individual fish several times in the same season from the same hole.