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Theater at Noon
Features “Soy Gitano,” flamenco show with Paulina Peralta, March 2, at 12:10 p.m., National Theater, Av. 2, Ca. 3/5. Info: 2221-9417.

“Migraciones: Mirando al Sur” Film Festival
Features “Asalto al sueño” (Germany, Guatemala, 2006, 82 min.), March 2, 6 p.m., Contemporary Art and Design Museum, CENAC, Av. 3/5, Ca. 11/15. Info: 2221-2154..

Book presentation
“Los Agüizotes: Raíces Mágicas de Costa Rica,” by Dionisio Cabal, March 2, 7 p.m., Mexico Institute, Ca. 41, Av. 10. Info: 2283-2333, ext. 204.

Costa Rica Comedy Fest
U.S. comedians Mike Ennis, Josh Filipowski and Gabe Pacheco bring stand-up to C.R., featuring collaborations with local artists Guillermo Ramos and Alex Costa, March 2, 9 p.m., Café Club, San Pedro. Info: 8354-5159, info@like2laugh.com.

Despite legislators' best efforts to rewrite the law and a union's refusal to implement it, the new transit law went into effect on Monday with fines some call disproportionately high.

During a five-hour period on Monday morning, police issued 90 tickets, for violations ranging from driving without a valid license ($536) to talking on a cell phone ($300).

“Our obligation is to apply the law,” said Juan Carlos González, spokesman for the Public Works and Transport Ministry, who said the union's protest hasn't affected the ticketing.

Marco Vargas, transportation minister, told the daily Diario Extra that police should put more emphasis on actions that endanger other people, and not be as vigilant in applying the tickets to minor offences.

“What I have said in our guidelines is to pay particular attention to what we call serious offenses, such as drunk or reckless driving,” he said. “But that transit authorities should apply the full force of the law.”

As police are busy handing out tickets, legislators are still working in an effort to make changes to the law before they leave office in May.

“We are looking for the necessary consensus,” said National Liberation Party lawmaker Alexander Mora. “The idea is to adjust the sanctions so that they reflect Costa Rican society.”

The original law was supposed to take effect in September of 2009, but due to inconsistencies in the legislation and fines that many lawmakers considered too high, the Legislative Assembly voted to postpone the implementation of the law an additional six months.

Even with the added time, they weren't able to achieve agreement on changes, and the law went into effect March 1, looking much like the original one approved in November of 2008.

A four-month ban on fishing of the spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in the Caribbean Sea, a first for the region, went into effect on Monday, March 1.

Caribbean fishermen from Belize through Panama will not be allowed to fish the species from March 1 through June 30, a time span which corresponds to the breeding period of the lobster.

The suspension aligns with the “Regional Ordinance for the fishing grounds of Caribbean Lobster,” a regulation developed by the Central American Fishing and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA) and signed by Central American governments in May 2009.

According to the law, fishing and aquaculture authorities in the signatory countries are responsible for enforcing the ban.

In Costa Rica's case, the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA), the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry (MINAET) and the Costa Rican Coast Guard are in charge of implementing the procedures laid out in the regulation and enforcing the ban.

Lobster fishing is an important trade for fishermen in Caribbean countries, providing vital economic and social opportunities to coastal communities. In recent years, catch numbers have been low, due in part to over-fishing and the use of destructive practices, such as dragnet fishing, in the region.

Allowing the spiny lobster sufficient time to reproduce every year, combined with more sustainable fishing practices, will help maintain the survival of the species and its ecosystem and increase catch numbers in coming years, said Bessy Aspra of the World Wildlife Foundation.

INCOPESCA began announcing the ban in Costa Rican daily newspapers, such as Al Día and La Nación, on Feb. 21.

José Centeno, a chief international representative for INCOPESCA, said the fishing institute and as well as the country's fishermen are on board with the new rules.

“The fishermen understand that this is an important method to help recuperate a species that they depend on,” Centeno said. “It is the responsibility of all of us to make sure this regulation is enforced and the waters preserved.”

Pressed by the international community, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo replaced the Armed Forces chief who played a key role in forcing former President Manuel Zelaya into exile last June, according to Honduran news media reports.

“I can say with satisfaction after serving my country as a member of the Armed Forces for 37 years, two months and seven days, that I feel blessed to have embraced this noble career,” said outgoing army general Romeo Vásquez, according to the Honduran daily La Prensa.

Gen. Vásquez “is going into retirement and returning to civilian life,” Lobo told newswire EFE. The general has been replaced by Carlos Antonio Cuéllar.

Last June, when still president, Zelaya sacked Vásquez for refusing an order to move ballots that would have been used in a controversial vote on whether to hold a national referendum on the possibility of reforming the nation's constitution. The Supreme Court ordered the chief reinstated and Honduran soldiers ousted Zelaya days later in a June 28 coup.