June 21, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to amend the citrus canker regulations to modify the conditions under which fruit may be moved interstate from a quarantined area. Under this proposed rule, we would eliminate the requirement that the groves in which the fruit is produced be inspected and found free of citrus canker, and instead require that fruit produced in the quarantined area be treated with a surface disinfectant treatment in a packinghouse operating under a compliance agreement and that each lot of finished fruit be inspected at the packinghouse and found free of visible symptoms of citrus canker. We would, however, retain the current prohibition on the movement of fruit from a quarantined area into commercial citrus-producing States. These proposed changes would relieve some restrictions on the interstate movement of fresh citrus fruit from Florida while maintaining conditions that would help prevent the artificial spread of citrus canker.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for species that comprise the shallow-water species fishery by catcher processors subject to sideboard limits established under the Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program in the GOA. This action is necessary because the 2007 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) sideboard limit specified for the shallow-water species fishery for catcher processors subject to sideboard limits established under the Central GOA Rockfish Program in the GOA is insufficient to support directed fishing for the shallow-water species fisheries.

We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation into the United States of litchi, longan, mango, mangosteen, pineapple, and rambutan from Thailand. As a condition of entry, these fruits must be grown in production areas that are registered with and monitored by the national plant protection organization of Thailand, treated with irradiation in Thailand, and subject to inspection. The fruits must also be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the fruit had been treated with irradiation in Thailand. In the case of litchi, the additional declaration must also state that the fruit had been inspected and found to be free of Peronophythora litchii, a fungal pest of litchi. Additionally, under this final rule, litchi and longan imported from Thailand may not be imported into or distributed to the State of Florida, due to the presence of litchi rust mite in Thailand. This action allows the importation of litchi, longan, mango, mangosteen, pineapple, and rambutan from Thailand into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests into the United States.