How many fish use mangroves? The 75% rule an ill-defined and poorly validated concept

摘要: Although mangroves are known to play a critical part in the lives and life histories of many fish species, these values have rarely been definitively quantified. Despite this, claims such as "an estimated 75% commercially caught depend directly on mangroves" common across range government non-government documents from around world, extent that idea or more has become truism widely used support value mangroves. I investigated basis for summarize "75% rule." The rule" is imprecisely defined, invariably cannot be traced back definitive scientific data. Moreover, claim illogical because we simply do not adequate knowledge how occupy different habitats even species there actually are. when simplest proposition, use mangroves, tested using global data bases, best estimates fall far short 75%. Clearly, wildly inaccurate, unsubstantiated and, at least give our current methods, impossible substantiate. Mangroves but an indefensible pseudoscientific paradigm this conservation efforts, management actions legal decisions, greatly weakens any arguments build upon it, putting risk outcomes rely integrity claim.