The program included a brief disclaimer in the end credits identifying it as a work of fiction, though critics argued it was too brief and easily missed by viewers.
: Characters like Dr. Paul Robertson, portrayed as whistleblowers, were actually played by actors. Mermaids: The New Evidence
: It linked the fictional discovery to the "Bloop," a real underwater sound recorded by the NOAA in 1997, which scientists have since attributed to icequakes, not marine life. The program included a brief disclaimer in the
: The show heavily relied on the Aquatic Ape Theory , a real but controversial evolutionary hypothesis, to provide a sense of "intellectual possibility" for the existence of mermaids. portrayed as whistleblowers