Mermaid Ondine reports:
Well, as you know, last month we Merlesque Mermaids paid a visit to Blue Planet Aquarium near Chester, UK, where we appeared swimming in their shark tank and doing meet-and-greet performances over the bank holiday weekend! If you missed out on the event, though, don't worry - here's a film clip of the moment one of the aquarium's beautiful guitar sharks swam up to meet me!

We're delighted to announce that Merlesque mermaid Lily La Mer will be appearing at the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire, UK on Sunday the 20th July! It's your chance to see a magical real life mermaid swimming before your very eyes, amongst a host of spectacular sea creatures including sand tiger sharks.

Our mermaid will be appearing for three swimming sessions throughout the day in the aquarium's shark tunnel, after which she will be available at the side of the tank for a chat and photographs - so you can meet a mermaid in the flesh, and find out a little more about her life under the sea.

You can even save £3 off all tickets to the Blue Planet Aquarium on the 20th by using this voucher available from Wrexham Savers. The aquarium is open 10am to 6pm, which means that in addition to seeing a beautiful real life mermaid swimming amongst exotic sharks and fish, you can take the whole day to explore the underwater world that mermaids inhabit. So why not join us for a magical Mermaid Sunday on the 20th July - it's sure to be unforgettable!

Mermaid Melusine reports:
Today is a day of celebration here at Mermaid Mansion! Our three mermaids Lorelei, Melusine and Ondine were delighted to hear that today five species of critically endangered shark (the oceanic whitetip, porbeagle and three types of hammerhead) have been given greater protection by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (a.k.a. Cites). Not only that - manta rays have also gained new protection. 

Shark finning is a huge problem for the world's oceans. The latest estimates are that an unbelievable 100 million sharks are killed every year, chiefly for their fins. As some shark species can take many years to reach maturity, this can lead to a crash in shark populations, which has serious knock-on effects to marine ecosystems. Find out more about the problems with shark finning by clicking here. 

Here in Cambridge, the grassroots movement Fin Free Cambridge have recently had success in persuading Cambridge City Council to vote to condemn the sale of shark fin products in Cambridge. It's the first city in the UK to do so, and the group are now aiming to expand their movement across the country.  

Just one more reason that the Merlesque mermaids are happy to call Cambridge our home!

Mermaid Melusine x