Department of Commerce December 6, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS announces free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops to be held in January, February, and March 2008. Fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet new regulatory requirements and maintain valid permits. The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops are mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops are mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be held in 2008 and announced in the Federal Register.

On August 15, 2007, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published in the Federal Register the preliminary results of the new shipper review of the antidumping duty order on certain preserved mushrooms from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') for Guangxi Jisheng Foods, Inc. (``Jisheng''). See Certain Preserved Mushrooms From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty New Shipper Review, 72 FR 45734 (August 15, 2007) (``Preliminary Results''). We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the Preliminary Results, but we did not receive any comment. Also, we find after reviewing the record evidence submitted by interested parties after the Preliminary Results that there is no other basis to change the Preliminary Results. Therefore, we made no changes to the dumping margin calculations for these final results.

On November 28, 2007 the binational panel issued its decision in the review of the 2nd Administrative Review made by the International Trade Administration, respecting Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod from Canada, Secretariat File No. USA-CDA-2006-1904-04. The binational panel remanded a portion of the decision to the Import Administration with a partial dissenting opinion and a further dissent. Copies of the panel decision are available from the U.S. Section of the NAFTA Secretariat.

NMFS proposes 2008 and 2009 harvest specifications, reserves and apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2008 and 2009 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).