Bees are now classified as a type of fish in California
Last time we checked, bees don't have fins, but that didn't stop California from classifying the prolific pollinators as fish.
Three judges have ruled that bees can legally be classified as a type of fish to protect them under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
While four bee species were classified as endangered in the state in 2018, they were not protected under California's endangered species act due to the way the insects are classified.
That classification included protecting animals that are "native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant."
Bees don't fit in anywhere here.
But advocates found a loophole in the definition of "fish," which is described as "a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian, or part, spawn, or ovum of any of those animals."
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Since most of the creatures involved in that definition aren't even fish, advocates have been arguing for four years that 'invertebrate' should include bees.
Late last month, the judges agreed.
This opens the door for critical protections for four endangered bees in California - and could allow protections for other struggling insect species in the state.
“With one out of every three bites of food we eat coming from a crop pollinated by bees, this court decision is critical to protecting our food supply,” Rebecca Spector, West Coast Director at Center for Food Safety, said in a statement.
“The decision clarifies that insects such as bees qualify for protections under CESA, which are necessary to ensure that populations of endangered species can survive and thrive.”
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