The Fisheries Department officials suspect the rising temperatures coupled with a disease spreading in the marine life could have caused the mass deaths. Scores of fish washed up on the banks of Shamirpet Lake a popular picnic spot and fishing haunt in the suburbs on Sunday. Perturbed fishermen said they were seeing dead fish on the lake’s banks for the last three days. The Fisheries Department officials suspect the rising temperatures coupled with a disease spreading in the marine life could have caused the mass deaths. This is for the first time that we are witnessing such an incident at Shamirpet Lake. For many years, it was a hub for local fishermen, and the local people depend on the lake for their livelihood, says K Rajaiah, one of the fishermen. The officials said dropping water levels, rising summer temperatures and prevalence of red spot disease caused the problem for the fish in the water body. We received complaints from the fishermen and members of Fishermen Cooperative Society. A team of experts from the department visited the lake and examined the dead fish. They had red spot disease, which is common in India, said District Fisheries Officer E Balaiah, adding that nearly 10,000 fish were found dead in three to four days. Last October, in an attempt to save the lake’s ecosystem, the Department released close to 1.30 lakh fish in Shamirpet. At present, we believe that 1.20 lakh fish are still there in the lake. We also started taking measures to eradicate the red spot ailment, Balaiah said. The officials are releasing lime to maintain the PH content in the lake and check fish parasites. Our workers are releasing lime paint that will eradicate the red spot disease. The lime will also go a long way in cooling the water. We asked fishermen to remove the dead fish from the shores, he said.