Bumblebees can be classified as ‘fish’ under California conservation law, court says – but not under federal law
Honeybees may be classified as pests under federal law. But a federal judge ruled against state restrictions, saying the honeybees are not fish because they have not evolved enough to change their classification.
A federal judge ruled against California’s restrictions on the number of bee colonies allowed on private and public lands, saying they do not meet the state’s strict standards for being fish and wildlife.
Judge William Alsup’s ruling Wednesday came in response to San Jose, Calif., officials who petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the honeybees are in fact fish.
The state claimed the bees, which sting intruders and feast on toxic honey, are fish under federal law, according to the Department of Fish and Game.
Federal protections on honeybees go beyond the state definition. While honeybees have evolved the ability to sting and stingers are part of the insects that evolve into bees, they are not fish.
Alsup’s ruling, made in the case of the Center for Biological Diversity, follows a similar decision in California in April by U.S. District Judge William Alsup. The state argued the honeybees are not fish, so Alsup agreed and didn’t rule on the designation of the bees under federal law.
Here are the definitions of the three species of bees:
“Fish” means any species capable of surviving in a brackish water environment, and is found in both fresh and salt waters.
“Bumblebee” or “bumblebee” means a member of the Apis genus of fruit-collected bees, including species such as Apis cerana, Apis mellifera and Apis florea.
The state’s argument is that the bees are not fish under state law, because they evolved from fish into insects and then back into fish. That’s the point, which was not reached in the California case.
