Unusual shark finally
gets its name on list


A strange egg-laying shark is official listed now as an inhabitant or at least a visitor to Costa Rican waters. The Mexican hornshark has been seen here before by local fisherman, but the one snagged by Luis Angel Rojas off Isla Herradura near Jacó Aug. 4 goes in the books as the first recorded sighting, according to the non-profit Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas. The small shark is about 3 feet long.

This species of shark, Heterodontus mexicanus, lives in deep coastal waters with rocky sea beds 20 to 50 meters (66 to 165 feet) or more where they principally feed on small mollusks and crustaceans, said the organization in a press release.

Most sharks bear live young, the organization noted, but this species lays eggs on the ocean floor that take a year to hatch, the release said.

Between 2006 and 2007, the Tárcoles Fishermen’s Cooperative and the Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas developed fishing research to better define marine management and conservation policies, and identified certain areas, for example the Río Tárcoles mouth and the fishing grounds known as Herradura, as shark reproduction sites that should be protected, said the organization.

Unfortunately, the uncontrolled operation of shrimp trawlers in the area has been identified as the biggest threat to attaining a sustainable fishery, due to their unselective and destructive nature, said the organization.

While this is the first official report of this hornshark in Costa Rica, Tárcoles fishermen have long known of its existence, according to the Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas.

“This species of shark is only rarely caught when fishing for groupers and snappers using a bottom set longline in the fishing area known as Isla Herradura, and it’s usually freed alive because it has no commercial value,” said Rojas, according to the release.

Anti-crime committee OKs
alternative text for new law


A special committee seeking to beef up laws against crimes and to give citizens more protection approved a substitute text Wednesday. The text includes protection for victims and witnesses.

According to a release from committee member Evita Arguedas Maklouf, the new text increases the penalty for certain thefts from three months to one year and the penalty for receiving stolen goods is increased from three to five years.

The action in the Comisión Especial de Seguridad Ciudadana is in response to an original bill submitted by the Presidencia and drafted by a committee headed by Laura Chinchilla, the vice president. Now the approved text will be sent to the various criminal justice agencies and the courts for a review.

The measure came from the official perception that a crime wave was sweeping Costa Rica. Ms. Chinchilla's proposal was for an integrated approach that targeted poverty and other social ills on the assumption that they spawned criminality. The committee is believed to have left these approaches on the table in order to directly address crime.

The text of the substitute bill was not available Wednesday night, but members of the committee said it was the result of a consensus.

Lawmakers did say that the proposal would create a special police unit to protect victims and witnesses and also provide for a fund to compensate victims. There also is believed to be mandatory pretrial detention for certain crimes when the suspect is caught in the act.

Meeting to consider course
for the next 20 months


The Arias administration will hold an internal discussion Aug. 23 to determine priorities for the remainder of the term in light of the economic impact of the world economy on Costa Rica. President Óscar Arias Sánchez, who cannot seek re-election in February, leaves office in May 2010.

Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, minister of the Presidencia, announced this Wednesday.

The meeting will include legislative deputies from the president's Partido Liberación Nacional, minister and heads of other government agencies.