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

NMFS amends the regulations governing minimum performance standards of fishing gear proposed for use in both the NE multispecies Regular B DAS Program and the Eastern U.S./Canada Haddock SAP. The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) may request the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator) approve additional gear types for use in these programs if they meet the standard. The purpose of this rule is to provide greater flexibility to fishermen participating in these programs.

Notice is hereby given that Dr. Kathryn A. Ono, Department of Biological Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, has been issued a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold a work session, which is open to the public.

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 new and revised definitions for certain regulatory terms, and procedural and technical changes to the regulations addressing scientific research activities, exempted fishing, and exempted educational activities under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This action is necessary to provide better administration of these activities and to revise the regulations consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (MSRA). NMFS intends to clarify the regulations, ensure necessary information to complete required analyses is requested and made available, and provide for expedited review of permit applications where possible.

Notice is hereby given that the North Carolina Zoological Park, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205, has applied in due form for a permit to import two juvenile harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) for the purposes of public display.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') is conducting a new shipper review of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel bar from India manufactured and exported by Ambica Steels Limited (``Ambica''). The period of review is February 1, 2006, through July 31, 2006. In these final results, we have determined to apply adverse facts available.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a public meeting of the Ad Hoc Recreational Red Snapper Advisory Panel (AP).

The South Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils (Councils) will hold a public scoping meeting regarding amending the spiny lobster fishery management plan to address the importation of spiny lobster products that do not meet U.S. conservation standards. The amendment will examine various alternatives to restrict imports of spiny lobster into the United States to a minimum acceptable length and/or weight. Spiny Lobsters are currently being imported below the U.S. minimum size limits. Much of the imported lobster does not meet the minimum size limits in the country of origin. This is adversely impacting recruitment throughout Florida and the Caribbean and, as a result, the status of spiny lobster in Caribbean and U.S. waters because of the distribution and dispersal of larvae.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Steller Sea Lion Mitigation Committee (SSLMC) will meet in Seattle, WA at the Nexus Hotel (January 6) and the Alaska Fishery Science Center (January 7 and 8).

At its Twenty-Sixth Meeting in Hobart, Tasmania, from October 22 to November 2, 2007, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), of which the United States is a member, adopted conservation and management measures and resolutions, pending countries' approval, pertaining to fishing in the CCAMLR Convention Area. All the measures were agreed upon in accordance with Article IX of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Measures adopted restrict overall catches of certain species of finfish, squid, krill and crabs, restrict fishing in certain areas, restrict use of certain fishing gear, specify implementation and inspection obligations supporting the Catch Documentation Scheme of Contracting Parties, and promote compliance with CCAMLR measures by non-Contracting Party vessels. This notice includes the full text of the new and revised conservation measures adopted at the Twenty-Sixth meeting of CCAMLR. This notice also includes a listing of conservation measures that carry over from last year without change. The full text of these measures was published in the Federal Register on January 29, 2007. NMFS suggests that the public view these measures along with the measures contained in this Federal notice for a complete listing of all the measures adopted by CCAMLR at its recent meeting. The full text of all the measures adopted by CCAMLR can also be found on CCAMLR's Web sitehttps://www.ccamlr.org. This notice, therefore, together with the U.S. regulations referenced under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, provides a comprehensive register of all current U.S. obligations under CCAMLR.

In response to a request from Dai Yang Metal Co., Ltd. (DMC), the Department of Commerce (the Department) initiated an administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from the Republic of Korea (Korea). This review covers imports of subject merchandise from DMC, for the period of review (POR) January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2006. On November 2, 2007, DMC withdrew its request for an administrative review. No other parties requested a review. The Department is now rescinding this administrative review.

NMFS announces revisions to the 2008 final harvest specifications and prohibited species catch (PSC) allowances for the groundfish fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA) that are required under the final rules implementing Amendments 80 and 85 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish at the beginning of the 2008 fishing year consistent with the new allocations for Amendments 80 and 85 and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the FMP. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the BSAI and in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

NMFS issues a final rule that revises the seabird avoidance measures for the Alaska hook-and-line groundfish and halibut fisheries. The final rule strengthens gear standards for small vessels and eliminates certain seabird avoidance requirements that are not needed. This action is necessary to revise seabird avoidance measures based on the latest scientific information and to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and associated costs.

In accordance with 15 U.S.C. Section 1512 and Executive Order 11625, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is soliciting competitive applications from organizations to operate a Minority Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) in El Paso, TX. The MBEC operates through the use of business consultants and provides a range of business consulting and technical assistance services directly to eligible minority-owned businesses. Responsibility for ensuring that applications in response to this competitive solicitation are complete and received by MBDA on time is the sole responsibility of the applicant. Applications submitted must be to operate a MBEC and to provide business consultation services to eligible clients. Applications that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. This is not a grant program to help start or to further an individual business.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a joint meeting of The Standing and Special Reef Fish Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSC).

This final rule announces inseason changes to management measures in the commercial Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. These actions, which are authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), are intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published its preliminary results of administrative review of the antidumping duty order on folding metal tables and chairs (``FMTCs'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') on July 11, 2007. The period of review (``POR'') is June 1, 2005, through May 31, 2006. We invited interested parties to comment on our preliminary results. Based on our analysis of the comments received, we have made changes to our margin calculations. Therefore, the final results differ from the preliminary results. The final dumping margins for this review are listed in the ``Final Results of Review'' section below.

On August 9, 2007, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from Romania. This review covers sales of subject merchandise made by Mittal Steel Galati S.A. The period of review is November 1, 2005, through October 31, 2006. Based on our analysis of comments received, we have made a change to our calculations; this change did not result in a change to the margin for Mittal Steel Galati S.A. Therefore, these final results are identical to our preliminary results. The final results are listed below in the ``Final Results of Review'' section.