Judge Nixes Lumping Bees With Fish for Species Protection (1)

Even though bumblebees don’t have backbones, they still aren’t afforded the same protections as fish, according to a California judge.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge James Arguelles this week set aside a 2019 California Fish and Game Commission vote to consider listing four species of bumblebees under the state’s Endangered Species Act.

Insects aren’t specifically named as eligible for protection, but environmental groups argued bumblebees should fall under the protected category of fish because they are invertebrates.

The Almond Alliance of California, California Association of Pest Control Advisers, California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association, and other ...