SRINAGAR: For the past few days, the harrowing sight of dead fish floating on the surface of the otherwise calm Dal Lake has caused panic among the residents and visitors, who had recently witnessed a strange phenomenon of exotic and predatory Alligator gar inside the lake.
Ecologists and environmentalists have raised concerns over the mortality rate of fish within the lake and have demanded the fisheries department to conduct a scientific inquiry into the incident.
“The water quality and level seems good, yet a large number of fish have died. People are horrified to see dead fish floating on the surface of the water. It is common to see dead fish in lake around Nehru Park,” said Sameer Ahmed, a resident of Dal Lake.
He said the incident has raised concerns among people and activists about the health of the lake and its fragile ecosystem.
Experts including environmentalists have also visited the lake to find out the reasons for the massive death of fish in the lake,” said Ahmed.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman, J&K Lake Conservation & Management Authority (LCMA) Bashir Ahmed Bhat termed the fish mortality of the particular species as an annual affair.
“These are very small Gambusia species of 3 t0 4 inches in size which have been affected and there is no need to panic at all. Our scientific wings have examined the causes of fish mortality. We realized that they died due to erratic weather causing thermal stratification-a change in the temperature at different depths in the lake”,Bhat added.
Dal Lake was recently in the news after a carnivorous crocodile fish (Alligator Gar) was recovered from the lake. While the fish died within hours of recovery, the reasons behind its emergence in the lake are still unknown to people and experts.(CNS)
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