In a unique situation, bees could be legally classified as fish, according to the California Court of Appeals.
The decision, announced last Tuesday, came after farmer groups sued state wasp officials for attempting to list four wasp species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
The judges overturned a lower court decision and decided to include bees in the CESA fish category as endangered or endangered – where “fish” is defined as including invertebrates.
Pamela Flick, a wildlife advocate and one of the defendants in the case, said in a press release: “This is a great day for California’s bumblebees. Today’s decision is that California’s Endangered Species Act applies to all endangered native species in California. Under CESA, an “endangered species” can be a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile or plant, but this definition does not include other endangered species such as insects.
On the other hand, the California Fish and Game Act defines “fish” to include wild fish, mollusc, crustaceans, invertebrates, and amphibians – this law expands local boundaries for “fish” – few refers to a crab fish. for example, but the Extended definition allows for state protection, for example, of the California freshwater shrimp, which is an endangered species that lives only in California.
In this latter case, the state court must decide whether the bees are “invertebrates” according to the state’s definition of “fish.”
The judges considered the verdict: “Of course, fish live in aquatic environments, because the term is usually understood colloquially.”
However, the California definition of “fish” includes at least one species of terrestrial invertebrates – the “Trinity” bristle snail.
The judges ruled that the definition of “fish” here should not be limited to aquatic wildlife and terrestrial invertebrates such as bees could be included in the law.
Insects like bees face threats from pesticides to the climate crisis, and 28 percent of bumblebees in North America are in danger of extinction, according to Xerces, a nonprofit insect protection group and another defendant in the lawsuit.
“The court decision allows the state of California to protect some of the most endangered pollinators, a move that will contribute to the stability of the state’s local farms and ecosystem,” Sarina Jepsen of Xerces told a press release. release.
Source: “Independent”
Source: Arabic RT
