Mermaids Spotted in Local Lake

Well, we thought we’d seen it all. My, were we mistaken. We’ve found mermaids in Bloomington, Indiana.

Snorkeling enthusiast Rianne Eckert was recently taking a brisk swim in our local lake, Lake Monroe. She was enjoying exploring the waters and checking out the creatures that make the lake their home. Using her new Vue Tech Full Face Mask by Deep Blue Gear, Rianne was snorkeling along when something shiny caught her eye.

Thinking it was an abnormally large bluegill, Rianne continued her snorkeling. Moments later, the fish appeared again. A flash of color swam by Rianne’s head and splashed the surface.

Unsure of what she had seen, Rianne took off her Vue Tech mask, rubbed her eyes, and became concerned. Maybe this cold swim wasn’t the best idea, it seemed to be causing her brain to play tricks on her.

Putting her mask back on, Rianne resumed snorkeling when from the depths came a face. A hand motioned for Rianne to follow her. Turning in the water, a cat-fish like tail twitched and the creature sped towards the creek. Rianne hesitated, remembering tales of treacherous sea creatures luring sailors to their death. A moment later, the mermaid reappeared from the murky water, taking Rianne’s arm and pulling her helplessly along.

Reaching the shallows, the mermaid surfaced and motioned for Rianne to take her mask off.

In an urgent tone, the mermaid said, “Finally, one of you is willing to listen. We’ve got a problem on our hands. While we as mermaids and mermen generally get along with all of our neighbors, there is a new family up the block that is threatening our whole ecosystem!”

Rianne just stared, not knowing what to make of the talking mythical creature. Rolling her eyes, the mermaid continued. “Catfish, bluegill and crappie neighbors are nice. But there are new fish, the carp, trying to take over. We need to make sure that they don’t make their way from the tail-waters into the main waters here!”

Blinking, Rianne slowly said, “Okay. Can we do anything about this?”

“The most important thing to share with local fisherman is to remind them not to use small fish caught in the streams and tailwaters as bait fish in the big lake. People should never take fish from one water source to another! Also, follow any guidelines the Indiana DNR puts out regarding preventing the migration. If these fish get in our lake, they could take over and have devastating effects!”

“Got it!” Rianne replied. “I’ll spread the word and warn fishermen of the dangers of the Asian Carp species!”

“Thanks, Rianne! I’ve got to go too, otherwise my dad King Monroe will send my sisters after me. See you later, and thanks for listening!” The mermaid then swam away back into the dark abyss.

Rianne left the lake that day determined to inform local Indiana residents about the dangers of Asian carp, but also about the mermaid that she met.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for playing along with us, and Happy April Fool’s day!

On a serious note, two types of Asian Carp have been found in the tail-waters of Lake Monroe, in Salt Creek, in Bloomington IN. If you are an angler that enjoys fishing these waters, remember to do your part to help stop the spread of this invasive species.

Happy snorkeling!