Unfortunately, the reports vanished almost as quickly as they surfaced, and no one ever claimed the reward. It's not clear what people were seeing, though the power of suggestion and imagination can be strong. Identifying animals in water is inherently problematic, since eyewitnesses are only seeing a small part of the creature. When you factor in low light at sunset and the distances involved, positively identifying even a known creature can be very difficult. Many wondered if it was just a case of mass suggestion, or even a hoax to drum up tourism. Either way, the mermaid hasn't been seen since.