Department of Commerce October 6, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In preparation for the 2010 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT is announcing the convening of its fall meeting.

On June 2, 2010, the Department of Commerce (the Department) initiated sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on stainless steel plate in coils (SSPC) from Belgium, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, and Taiwan, pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The Department has conducted expedited (120-day) sunset reviews for these orders pursuant to 19 CFR 351.218(e)(1)(ii)(C)(2). As a result of these sunset reviews, the Department finds that revocation of the antidumping duty orders would be likely to lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping.

NMFS hereby issues a final rule that implements Amendment 94 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). Amendment 94 requires participants using nonpelagic trawl gear in the directed fishery for flatfish in the Bering Sea subarea to modify the trawl gear to raise portions of the gear off the ocean bottom. Amendment 94 also changes the boundaries of the Northern Bering Sea Research Area to establish the Modified Gear Trawl Zone (MGTZ) and to expand the Saint Matthew Island Habitat Conservation Area. Nonpelagic trawl gear also is required to be modified to raise portions of the gear off the ocean bottom if used in any directed fishery for groundfish in the MGTZ. This action is necessary to reduce potential adverse effects of nonpelagic trawl gear on bottom habitat, to protect additional blue king crab habitat near St. Matthew Island, and to allow for efficient flatfish harvest as the distribution of flatfish in the Bering Sea changes. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.

NMFS issues a final rule to implement Amendments 95 and 96 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) and Amendment 87 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), (collectively referred to as ``the FMPs''). Amendment 95 moves skates from the ``other species'' category to the ``target species'' category in the FMP. Amendments 96 and 87 revise the FMPs to meet the National Standard 1 guidelines for annual catch limits and accountability measures. These amendments move all remaining species groups from the ``other species'' category to the ``target species'' category, remove the ``other species'' and ``non- specified species'' categories from the FMPs, establish an ``ecosystem component'' category, and describe the current practices for groundfish fisheries management in the FMPs, as required by the guidelines. The final rule removes references to the ``other species'' category for purposes of the harvest specifications and adds skate species to the reporting codes for the BSAI groundfish fisheries. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMPs, and other applicable laws.

This announcement provides notice that the decision record for an administrative appeal filed with the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) by Pan American Grain Co. (Pan American) has closed. No additional information, briefs, or comments (not previously submitted and made part of the decision record prior to closure) will be considered by the Secretary in deciding the appeal.

The SEDAR assessment of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stock of goliath grouper consists of a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel (AP) in North Charleston, SC. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

We, NMFS, have completed an Endangered Species Act (ESA) status review for Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus). Based on the status review report (ASSRT, 2007), and other information available since completion of the status review report, we have determined that the species is comprised of five distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as species under the ESA: Gulf of Maine (GOM); New York Bight (NYB); Chesapeake Bay (CB); Carolina; and South Atlantic. We have also determined that, for those DPSs that are located within the jurisdiction of NMFS' Northeast Region, listing as threatened is warranted for the GOM DPS, and listing as endangered is warranted for the NYB DPS and CB DPS. A separate proposed listing determination is issued for the two DPSs within NMFS' Southeast Region in today's Federal Register.