Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) will hold meetings of the: Joint Administrative Policy and Budget/Personnel, Mackerel, Shrimp, Data Collection, and Reef Fish Management Committees; in conjunction with a meeting of the Full Council. The Council will also hold a formal public comment session.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public meetings of the Council and its Committees.

On March 23, 2015, NMFS and USFWS (or the Services) published a proposed rule to revise the listings of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas; hereafter referred to as the green turtle) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We opened a public comment period that lasted through June 22, 2015. On June 7, 2015, we published a notice extending the public comment period through July 27, 2015. Having received requests to further extend the comment period, with this document we extend the comment period to August 26, 2015.

NMFS announces its intent to prepare an SEIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The SEIS will evaluate alternatives which include petitioned changes to the regulations governing management of the northern fur seal subsistence harvest on St. Paul Island, Alaska. The SEIS will supplement the 2005 Final Environmental Impact Statement for Setting the Annual Subsistence Harvest of Northern Fur Seals on the Pribilof Islands. NMFS intends to prepare an SEIS because the petitioned action would make substantial changes to the action analyzed in the 2005 EIS that are relevant to environmental effects.

NMFS has received two requests from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities as part of two separate pier maintenance projects at Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue incidental harassment authorizations (IHA) to the Navy to incidentally take marine mammals, by Level B Harassment only, during the specified activity.

On April 1, 2015, the United States Court of International Trade (the Court) issued Toscelik II,\1\ which sustained the Final Remand Results \2\ that the Department of Commerce (the Department) issued in connection with Toscelik I, concerning the Department's final results of administrative review of the countervailing duty order on circular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes from Turkey covering the period of review January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011 (POR).\3\ At issue were benefits that Toscelik Profil ve Sac Endustrisi AS (Toscelik) received in connection with land that Toscelik acquired from the Government of Turkey in 2008 and 2010. In the Final Remand Results, the Department restored the benchmark originally calculated for the 2008 land subsidy in the 2010 CVD Review \4\ and further explained aspects of the benchmark used to value the 2010 land subsidy. In addition, pursuant to a voluntary remand request, the Department examined and corrected, as necessary, duplication errors in the dataset used to calculate the land benchmark.\5\

NMFS proposes and seeks comments on a proposed rule and proposed specifications to be issued under authority of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act (WCPFC Implementation Act). The proposed rule would establish a framework under which NMFS would specify limits on fishing effort and catches, as well as spatial and temporal restrictions on particular fishing activities and other requirements, in U.S. fisheries for highly migratory fish species in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). NMFS would issue the specifications as needed to implement conservation and management measures adopted by the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Commission or WCPFC). The proposed rule also would require that certain U.S. fishing vessels operating in the WCPO obtain ``IMO numbers.'' The proposed rule also includes changes to regulations regarding tuna catch retention requirements for purse seine vessels, requirements to install and carry vessel monitoring system (VMS) units, daily reporting requirements, and other changes that are administrative in nature. Using the proposed regulatory framework described above, NMFS proposes restrictions on the use of fish aggregating devices by purse seine vessels in 2015. These actions are necessary to satisfy the obligations of the United States under the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, to which it is a Contracting Party.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Corps) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the rehabilitation of jetty system at the mouth of the Columbia River (MCR): North Jetty, South Jetty, and Jetty A. The Corps is requesting an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) for the first season of pile installation and removal at Jetty A only.

Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an authorization to WSF to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of marine mammals for a period of 1 year.

The Department of Commerce (the ``Department'') is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain polyester staple fiber from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''), for the period of review (``POR''), June 1, 2013, to May 31, 2014.

This rule amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to implement the rescission of Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Specifically, this rule removes anti-terrorism (AT) license requirements from Cuba and eliminates references to Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but maintains preexisting license requirements for all items subject to the EAR unless authorized by a license exception. This rule also removes Cuba from Country Group E:1 (terrorist supporting countries), which makes Cuba eligible for a general 25 percent de minimis level and portions of four license exceptions. The Secretary of State rescinded the designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism on May 29, 2015.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2015 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch in the West Yakutat District of the GOA.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is partially rescinding its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain preserved mushrooms (mushrooms) from India for the period February 1, 2014, through January 31, 2015 (POR).

On May 11, 2015, the Department received a timely request for a new shipper review (NSR) from Jinxiang Huameng Imp & Exp Co. (Huameng), in accordance with section 751(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.214(c). On May 22, 2015 Department issued a letter to Huameng requesting that it correct certain deficiencies in its initial request.\1\ On July 6, 2015, Huameng submitted a timely response to the Department's request.\2\ The Department of Commerce (Department) has determined that the request for a NSR of the antidumping duty order on fresh garlic from the People's Republic of China (PRC) meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for initiation. The period of review (POR) is November 1, 2014, through April 30, 2015.

NMFS proposes annual catch limits (ACLs) for Pacific Island bottomfish, crustacean, precious coral, and coral reef ecosystem fisheries, and accountability measures (AMs) to correct or mitigate any overages of catch limits. The proposed ACLs and AMs would be effective in fishing year 2015. The fishing year for each fishery begins on January 1 and ends on December 31, except for precious coral fisheries, which begins July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year. The proposed catch limits and accountability measures support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands.

This notice announces a public meeting of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee provides advice to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on spectrum management policy matters.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that TPBI Public Company Limited (TPBI) is the successor-in- interest to Thai Plastic Bags Industries Company Limited (Thai Plastic Bags) for purposes of the antidumping duty order on polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs) from Thailand and, as such, will be entitled to Thai Plastic Bags's exclusion from the antidumping duty order. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

The SEDAR 41 assessments of the South Atlantic stocks of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) and gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) will consist of: Data Workshops; an Assessment Workshop; and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public hearings in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida and a Question and Answer Webinar for Regulatory Amendment 16 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan for the South Atlantic. The Council will also hold public hearings in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and a Question and Answer Webinar for Amendment 36 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan for the South Atlantic. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is amending the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on circular welded non-alloy steel pipe (CWP) from the Republic of Korea (Korea) to correct a ministerial error.\1\ The period of review is November 1, 2012, through October 31, 2013.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) (Amendment 8), as prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule expands portions of the northern and western boundaries of the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) (Oculina Bank HAPC) and allows transit through the Oculina Bank HAPC by fishing vessels with rock shrimp onboard; modifies vessel monitoring system (VMS) requirements for rock shrimp fishermen transiting through the Oculina Bank HAPC with rock shrimp on aboard; expands a portion of the western boundary of the Stetson Reefs, Savannah and East Florida Lithoherms, and Miami Terrace Deepwater Coral HAPC (CHAPC) (Stetson- Miami Terrace CHAPC), including modifications to the shrimp access area A, which is renamed ``shrimp access area 1''; and expands a portion of the northern boundary of the Cape Lookout Lophelia Banks Deepwater CHAPC (Cape Lookout CHAPC). In addition, this rule makes a minor administrative change to the names of the shrimp fishery access areas. The purpose of this rule is to increase protections for deepwater coral based on new information for deepwater coral resources in the South Atlantic.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold five public hearings and one webinar to solicit Public comments on Draft Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).