Merfolk Swim Days

After a merfolk infant is born, it takes between six and twelve days for the merfry to be able to swim unaided.  Even then, it is much longer for the merfry to be able to swim long distances without tiring, but it's still viewed as a joyous occasion when a baby can splash forward a few yards in the water.   This is the Swim Day, equivalent to the Name Day for many Scarterrans.  Merfolk do not even name their children until they can swim.  If a merfry is not able to swim within twelve days, they are probably not even going to live twelve days.  No point in naming something and getting attached if it can die so easily.   With rare exceptions, if a merfry cannot swim after twelve days, the young fry is either put to death outright or left to die of exposure.  A few conservative merfolk groups view twelve days as too generous and leave their fry out to die after nine days.   Twelve days is the standard in the Oshamni Empire.