Department of Commerce March 19, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comment on the crime control export and reexport license requirements contained in the Export Administration Regulations. Specifically, BIS is seeking public input on whether the scope of items currently subject to crime control license requirements should be revised to add or remove items. BIS is also seeking public comments on whether the destinations to which crime control license requirements apply should be revised.

This announcement is a solicitation for proposals for the Comparative Analysis of Marine Ecosystem Organization (CAMEO) Program. The purpose of CAMEO is to strengthen the scientific basis for an ecosystem approach to stewardship of ocean and coastal resources and ecosystems. To fulfill this purpose, CAMEO will assist policy makers and resource managers to make ecosystem-science based decisions that fulfill policy goals and management objectives of society. The program will support research to understand complex dynamics controlling productivity, behavior, population connectivity, climate variability and anthropogenic pressures. It envisages the use of a diverse array of ecosystem models, comparative analyses of managed and unmanaged areas, and ecosystem-scale mapping in support of research, forecasting and decision support. Proposals are requested for 1-2 year projects for initial modeling, retrospective, and pilot studies.

NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 15 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). Amendment 15 would modify the FMP to implement a limited entry program for the non-tribal Pacific whiting fishery. Amendment 15 is intended to limit participation in the Pacific whiting fishery within the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone until the implementing of a trawl rationalization program in the Pacific whiting fishery.

Notice is hereby given that the University of Wisconsin Extension, the WI Department of Administration's Coastal Management Program and the WI Department of Natural Resources with the support of the Estuarine Reserves Division of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce, will hold a public hearing for the purpose of receiving comments on the preliminary recommendation that the St. Louis River Estuary be proposed for designation as a National Estuarine Research Reserve in Wisconsin. The state agencies will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on April 3rd, 2008 at the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical CollegeSuperior Conference Center, 600 North 21st Street, Superior, WI 78701. The views of interested persons and organizations on the proposed site recommendation are solicited, and may be expressed orally and/or in written statements. An informational presentation on the St. Louis River Estuary and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is scheduled for 7 p.m. All comments received at the hearing will be considered in a formal nomination by the state to NOAA. The NERRS is a federal-state partnership that is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The system protects more than 1.3 million acres of estuarine habitat for long-term research, monitoring, education and stewardship throughout the coastal United States. Established by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, each reserve is managed by a lead state agency or university, with input from local partners. NOAA provides funding and national programmatic guidance. The NERR site selection effort is a culmination of several years of local, grassroots support for a Wisconsin NERR on Lake Superior. The recommendation of the St. Louis site follows a year-long process to gather information about all of the freshwater estuaries on Lake Superior's south shore. The site selection process involved dozens of meetings with scientists, agency land managers, public officials and citizens.

NMFS is adjusting the 2008 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for sablefish in the West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined that these TACs were incorrectly specified in the Federal Register on February 27, 2008 (73 FR 10562). This action will ensure the sablefish TAC does not exceed the appropriate amount based on the best available scientific information for sablefish in the West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP).