Are you talking about the long, thin, red strands? If so, it's a parasite... Seen them all over bunker in the Providence river. Pretty sure it's Lernaeenicus radiatus, a type of copepod, but I'm not 100% on that one. They're just one of the most common Clupeid parasites.
I wouldn't be surprised if it's directly linked to the warm water.
That and the schooling tends to guarantee that if one fish gets it, they'll all get it.
Hybrid Mode
