#classification

#classification

A Panel of Judges Rules That Bees Are Fish Under California LawLet's be real here- a bee is an insect. It is not a fish. But there's a big difference between scientific nomenclature and the law. A panel of judges has ruled that four species of bumblebee can be classified as fish under California's Endangered Species Act (CESA), which is specific to the state and has nothing to do with the national Endangered Species Act. You see, CESA has no category or provision to protect insects. The 1970 act protects "all native species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants, and their habitats..." So how can it protect bumblebees? Well, by re-classifying them. The idea that insects can be classified as fish for the purpose of the act is not new. Endangered crawfish and shrimp were classified as fish under the act and no one batted an eye. In 1980, a species of snail that didn't even live in the water was classified as a fish. The judges in the bee case took those exceptions under consideration when they allowed the bumblebees to be included in the fish category. So while it may sound nonsensical to classify bees as fish, there's reason and precedent behind it. California courts tend to rule liberally on environmental issues and prefer to err on the side of protecting animals whenever they can. (Image credit: Zeynel Cebeci)#bee #bumblebee #fish #endangeredspecies #classification #law