In what is being described as a "great day" for the state's bees, a Californian court has ruled that they are fish.
Now biologically speaking, bees are not fish, as the justices at California's Third District Court of Appeal noted in their ruling. Do not expect a
Bee Movie/
Finding Nemo crossover anytime soon. However, the court decided that bumble bees can be classed as an invertebrate, offering them protection under the California Endangered Species Act.
"The issue presented here is whether the bumble bee, a terrestrial invertebrate, falls within the definition of fish," the judges
said in their summation. Under CESA, "endangered species" can be birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, or fish. Insects like bees do not make the cut, under this definition.
However, the judges interpreted that it was "ambiguous" whether the legislature intended for the definition of fish to apply only to aquatic species. In fact, they note, the act already applies to a terrestrial mollusk.