Is it a bird, is it a bee? Nope, it’s a fish – according to a California court

In a weird twist of events, a California court has ruled that bumble bees can now be classified as fish. The ruling comes after environmentalists petitioned for the endangered nectar gathering species to be classified as fish so that they can have further conservation protections.

Formerly the bee species which was classified as endangered in 2018, did not have as much protection under the state’s Endangered Species Act (CESA).

Bees are now classified as fish – or at least in California they do

Environmentalists have won their appeal to have bees classified as fish so that they can have the same protection as other endangered species in California.

While bees were classified as endangered back in 2018, they had not received the same protection as other endangered animals under California’s CESA because they are land invertebrates.

And now a trio of judges in California said on Tuesday that bees can be legally classed as a type of fish, Business Insider reports.

ALSO READ: Bees: Continuing decline a big concern for global food security

The judges argued that frogs are also covered under the fish section due to the act’s inclusion of amphibians.

Frogs, like bees, live above water and this should mean bees can get the same exemption.

“Although the term fish is colloquially and commonly understood to refer to aquatic species,” the judges said, legislative jargon, in this case, could be justified in expanding the definition to fish.

News is met with celebration

The news came as a big win for environmental groups who had hoped an earlier decision to not classify the flying insects as fish would be turned over.

“It is a great day for California’s bumble bees,” said Pamela Flick, California Program Director at Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups that brought the appeal, in a press statement following the ruling.