Editorial: How bees became fish in California

California’s Third District Court of Appeal has ruled that bees are fish.

While this has been great news for comedians, it is unwelcome news in the state’s agriculture industry. The court’s ruling means four species of bumble bees may be listed as “endangered” and protected under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), which could affect farming.

CESA dates back to 1970 and enables anyone to petition the California Fish and Game Commission to designate a species as “endangered,” defined as “in serious danger of becoming extinct,” or “threatened,” meaning “likely to become an endangered species in the foreseeable future.” These designations are available for “native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant,” but not insects.