Department of Commerce 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950, as amended, (Act) to implement decisions of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). At its Eighty-second Meeting in July 2011, the IATTC adopted a number of resolutions, some of which require rulemaking to implement domestically in the United States. This proposed rule implements three of these decisions: the Resolution on Tuna Conservation 2011-2013 (C-11-01), the Resolution Prohibiting Fishing on Data Buoys (C-11-03), and the Resolution Prohibiting the Retention of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks (C-11-10). This action is necessary for the United States to satisfy its obligations as a member of the IATTC.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app., notice is hereby given that the Panel of Judges of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will meet on Monday, November 14, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, November 17, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday, November 18, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Panel of Judges is composed of twelve members prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance management and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, assembled to advise the Secretary of Commerce on the conduct of the Baldrige Award. The purpose of this meeting is to conduct final judging of the 2011 applicants. The applications under review by Judges contain trade secrets and proprietary commercial information submitted to the Government in confidence.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a meeting of the Reef Fish Advisory Panel (AP).

In preparation for the 2011 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.

This final rule implements measures that were approved in Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) developed Amendment 3 to bring the FMP into compliance with the annual catch limit (ACL) and accountability measure (AM) requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act). This rule establishes the mechanisms for specifying an ACL and AMs and sets the total allowable landings (TAL) for red crab for the 2011-2013 fishing years (FY). NMFS disapproved two proposed measures in Amendment 3. This final rule implements additional management measures to promote efficiency in the red crab fishery.

On May 24, 2011, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of the 2009/2010 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand. We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results. Based on our analysis of the comments received and an examination of our calculations, we have made certain changes for the final results. The final weighted-average dumping margins for the respondents are listed below in the ``Final Results of Review'' section of this notice.

NMFS is prohibiting retention of ``other rockfish'' in the Aleutian Island subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the 2011 total allowable catch (TAC) of ``other rockfish'' in the Aleutian Island subarea of the BSAI has been reached.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by non- American Fisheries Act (AFA) crab vessels that are subject to sideboard limits harvesting Pacific cod for processing by the inshore component in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2011 Pacific cod sideboard limit established for non-AFA crab vessels harvesting Pacific cod for processing by the inshore component in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its 108th Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and its 152nd Council meeting to take actions on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in October, November, and December of 2011. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted during 2011.

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to the NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division, La Jolla, California, (Responsible Party: George Watters, PhD, Director) to take marine mammals for scientific research.

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.

This proposed action would establish the 2012 harvest specifications and management measures for certain groundfish species taken in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP). This action includes regulations to implement Secretarial Amendment 1 to the PCGFMP. Secretarial Amendment 1 contains the rebuilding plans for overfished species and new reference points for assessed flatfish species.

NMFS announces that the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted a 2011 Annual Catch Limits/Accountability Measures Amendment (2011 Caribbean ACL Amendment) to the Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) for Reef Fish Resources, Spiny Lobster, Queen Conch, and Coral and Reef Associated Plants and Invertebrates for the U.S. Caribbean for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. This amendment proposes actions to establish annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs) if ACLs should be exceeded for selected reef fish, spiny lobster, and aquarium trade species identified by the Secretary as not undergoing overfishing; allocate ACLs for island management areas and for the commercial and recreational sectors; revise the species within the conch FMU; establish bag limits for selected reef fish species and spiny lobster; and establish framework procedures for spiny lobster and coral and reef associated plants and invertebrates species. The 2011 Caribbean ACL Amendment would also revise management reference points and status determination criteria for angelfish, boxfish, goatfish, grunts, hogfish, jacks, scups and porgies, spiny lobster, squirrelfish, surgeonfish, triggerfish and tilefish, and aquarium trade species. The intended effect of the 2011 Caribbean ACL Amendment is prevent overfishing of reef fish, spiny lobster and aquarium trade species while maintaining catch levels consistent with achieving optimum yield (OY).

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 2 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Queen Conch Resources of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Amendment 5 to the FMP for the Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Amendments 2 and 5) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. These amendments would establish annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs) for queen conch and all reef fish units or complexes that are classified as undergoing overfishing or that contain sub-units which are classified as undergoing overfishing (i.e. snapper, grouper and parrotfish); allocate ACLs among island management areas and, in Puerto Rico only, among the commercial and recreational sectors; revise the composition of the snapper and grouper complexes; prohibit fishing for and possession of three parrotfish species (midnight, blue, rainbow); establish recreational bag limits for snappers, groupers, and parrotfishes; and establish framework procedures for queen conch and reef fish species. Amendments 2 and 5 would also revise management reference points and status determination criteria for queen conch, snappers, groupers, and parrotfishes. The intended effects of Amendments 2 and 5 are to prevent overfishing of queen conch and reef fish species while maintaining catch levels consistent with achieving optimum yield (OY).

This rule provides multiple administrative updates, which pertain to international fisheries and domestic fisheries. Other updates in office names and a fax number are also included.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is publishing this notice to advise the public of the availability, on the USPTO's Web site, of the patent fee amounts that will be in effect ten days after the date of enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (i.e., September 26, 2011) by operation of the fifteen percent surcharge provided for in section 11(i) and the prioritized examination fee provided for in Section 11(h). The USPTO's Web site also specifies the additional fee for applications not filed by electronic means in effect sixty days after the date of enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (i.e., November 15, 2011) by operation of section 10(h). The USPTO's Web site for fee information is https:// www.uspto.gov/about/offices/cfo/finance/fees.jsp.

On July 22, 2011, NIST published a Request for Information in the Federal Register inviting interested parties to submit written comments on how to best structure a potential new public-private partnership program, the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) Program, which was proposed in the NIST fiscal year (FY) 2012 budget. NIST is publishing this notice to extend the deadline for the submission of comments pertaining to the proposed AMTech Program until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Thursday, October 20, 2011. No other changes are being made to the originally published Request for Information.