Department of Commerce February 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), are extending the comment period on proposed critical habitat designations for 20 Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) of Pacific salmon and O. mykiss (inclusive of anadromous steelhead and resident rainbow trout) listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The proposed designations include habitat areas in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. A recent court-approved Amendment to the Consent Decree, that established the schedule for completing these designations, extends the comment period until March 14, 2005, and the date to submit final rules until August 15, 2005. These extensions will allow the public additional time to provide information related to the proposed designations and will provide NMFS with the time needed to review, consider, and respond to comments. We are soliciting information and comments from the public on all aspects of the proposals, including information on the economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of the proposed designations.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

NMFS proposes to approve and implement changes to the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California (Area 2A) Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (Plan) to: allow remaining quota from Washington's south coast subarea to be used to accommodate incidental catch in the south coast nearshore fishery; allow quota projected to be unused to be transferred from Oregon's central coast subarea to another subarea south of Leadbetter Point, WA; revise the season structure for Oregon's all-depth spring and summer sport fisheries; provide more flexibility for Oregon's inseason sport fishery management (triggers for additional fishery openings and bag limits in the all-depth summer fishery); revise the public announcement process for Oregon's all-depth summer sport fishery; revise the Columbia River subarea quota contributions from Oregon/California; remove the minimum length requirement in all subareas south of Leadbetter Point, WA; prohibit retention of all groundfish, except sablefish, in Oregon's and possibly Washington's Columbia River fishery on all days and in the Central Coast fisheries on ``all-depth'' days; implement a closed area off Oregon's coast; and revise all coordinates from degrees minutes seconds to degrees decimal minutes. NMFS also proposes to revise the coordinates for the closed area to Oregon's central coast recreational fishery and to non-treaty commercial halibut fishing in Area 2A. NMFS is also proposing to implement the portions of the Plan and management measures that are not implemented through the IPHC, which includes the sport fishery management measures for Area 2A, the flexible inseason management provisions in Area 2A, fishery election in Area 2A, and Area 2A non-treaty commercial fishery closed areas. These actions are intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut, to protect yelloweye rockfish and other overfished groundfish species from incidental catch in the halibut fisheries, and to provide greater angler opportunity where available.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

NMFS reduces the commercial trip limit of Atlantic group Spanish mackerel in or from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the southern zone to 1,500 lb (680 kg) per day. This trip limit reduction is necessary to maximize the socioeconomic benefits of the quota.

On January 21, 2005, Tembec, Inc. filed a First Request for Panel Review with the United States Section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Panel review was requested of the Determination under Section 129(a)(4) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, made by the United States International Trade Commission, respecting Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada. This determination was published in the Federal Register, (69 FR 75916) on December 20, 2004. The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number USA-CDA-2005-1904-03 to this request.

Notice is hereby given that requests for modifications to scientific research permits No. 1226 submitted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Fisheries Unit, Bureau of Marine Resources, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, New York, 12561-1696 (Kathryn A. Hattala, Principal Investigator) and No. 1239 submitted by Dr. Boyd Kynard, U.S. Geological Survey, Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, P.O. Box 796, One Migratory Way, Turners Falls, Massachusetts 01376, have been granted.

In response to a request from the petitioner in this proceeding, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') initiated an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on pure magnesium from Canada. Due to the recent completion of NAFTA panel review of the final remand redetermination made by the Department concerning the full sunset review of that order, the order was revoked effective August 1, 2000. Therefore, we are rescinding the ongoing administrative review covering the period August 1, 2003, through July 31, 2004.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Committee and its Industry Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting.

Among other changes to patent and trademark fees, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (Consolidated Appropriations Act), splits the national fee for Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications entering the national stage into a separate national fee, search fee and examination fee, during fiscal years 2005 and 2006. The Office is in this notice reducing the search fee and examination fee for certain PCT applications entering the national stage. The Office has implemented the changes to the patent fees provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act in a separate final rule.

NMFS closes the commercial run-around gillnet fishery for king mackerel in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the southern Florida west coast subzone. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf king mackerel resource.