Good news for lovers of bees and bad news for lovers of seafood: a court in California has ruled that bees can legally be classified as fish.
No, this isn’t a ploy by McDonald’s to release its new Filet-o-Bees sandwich in restaurants – the decision was actually designed to protect bees. It all hinges the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), part of the California Fish and Game Code, one section of which defines “fish” as:
“…a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian, or part, spawn, or ovum of any of those animals.”
As a bee is, of course, an invertebrate, California’s Third District Court of Appeal ruled that CESA can indeed protect four species of imperilled native bumblebees.
“It is a great day for California’s bumblebees. Today’s decision confirms that California Endangered Species Act protections apply to all of our state’s imperilled native species and is critical to protecting our state’s renowned biodiversity,” said Pamela Flick, California Program Director with Defenders of Wildlife, one of the three conservation groups that brought the case – which was defeated in a trial court in 2020 – to appeal.
“Bees and other pollinators are integral to healthy ecosystems and the crucial pollination services they provide serve all of us, making this decision exponentially more consequential.”
We don’t know about you, but we just found the perfect plot for Bee Movie 2. Jerry Seinfeld, if you’re reading – call us.
