Department of Commerce July 1, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is implementing approved measures contained in Amendment 9 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (MSB) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Amendment 9 was developed by the Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) to remedy deficiencies in the FMP and to address other issues that have arisen since Amendment 8 to the FMP became effective in 1999. Amendment 9 establishes multi-year specifications for all four species managed under the FMP (mackerel, butterfish, Illex squid (Illex), and Loligo squid (Loligo)) for up to 3 years; extends the moratorium on entry into the Illex fishery, without a sunset provision; adopts biological reference points recommended by the Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC) for Loligo; designates essential fish habitat (EFH) for Loligo eggs based on best available scientific information; and prohibits bottom trawling by MSB-permitted vessels in Lydonia and Oceanographer Canyons.

The Department of Commerce has received requests to conduct administrative reviews of various antidumping and countervailing duty orders and findings with May anniversary dates. In accordance with the Department's regulations, we are initiating those administrative reviews. The Department of Commerce also received requests to revoke two antidumping duty orders in part.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS has made a preliminary determination that the subject exempted fishing permit (EFP) application contains all the required information and warrants further consideration. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Assistant Regional Administrator proposes to recommend that an EFP be issued that would allow one commercial fishing vessel to conduct fishing operations that are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of the Northeastern United States. The EFP, which would enable the applicants to investigate the bycatch variability of different groundfish trawl codend configurations with a small mesh cover, would allow for exemptions for one vessel from the Northeast (NE) Multispecies and Monkfish Fishery Management Programs, as follows: NE multispecies Gulf of Maine (GOM) minimum mesh size. The EFP would also allow temporary exemptions from the following regulations, per the stipulations detailed in this document: NE multispecies minimum fish sizes; NE multispecies possession restrictions; monkfish minimum fish sizes; and monkfish possession restrictions. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.