Department of Commerce August 21, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS issues regulations implementing Amendment 90 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and Amendment 78 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. This regulation amends the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Amendment 80 Program and the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program to allow post-delivery transfers of cooperative quota to cover overages. This action is necessary to mitigate potential overages, reduce enforcement costs, and provide for more precise total allowable catch management. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Fishery Management Plans, and other applicable law.

The Department of Commerce (``Department'') has considered certain novelty candles (i.e., candles in the shape of an identifiable object or with holiday-specific design both being discernable from multiple angles) outside the scope of the Order. See Antidumping Duty Order: Petroleum Wax Candles from the People's Republic of China, 51 Fed. Reg. 30686 (August 28, 1986) (``Order''). These exclusions were made in accordance with 19 C.F.R. Sec. 351.225(k)(1) and past Department practices. However, given the extremely large number of scope determinations requested by outside parties, the Department now seeks comments from the interested parties on the best method to consider whether novelty candles should or should not be included within the scope of the Order given the extremely large number of scope determinations requested by outside parties.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a joint public meeting of its Whiting Committee and Advisory Panel in September, 2009 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

We are advising the public that a National Aquatic Animal Health Plan (NAAHP) for the United States is being made available for public review and comment. The NAAHP was developed by a Task Force led by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department Agriculture, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is anticipated that this plan will provide a framework for how APHIS, FWS, and NMFS should develop programs for diseases that affect the health of aquatic animals such as finfish, crustaceans, and mollusks.