If fish talks to you, you don't have to beat it. Moreover, if you let them go or complete their quest, you will get a new ending! Thanks for feedback though!
Ah, I see! I didn't pick up on that because I was having such a hard time 'beating' even one fish - I couldn't chance reading the dialogue! I was also referring to the instructions for the gameplay, which also came up while timers where counting down - a tiny bit stressful! Haha
