Department of Commerce March 5, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is changing the butterfish mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery from a catch cap to a discard cap as a result of its approval of Framework Adjustment 7 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. This action also reduces the butterfish mortality cap for the 2013 fishing year by 13 percent (from 4,477 mt to 3,884 mt) to exclude butterfish landings that were previously included in the butterfish mortality cap allocation. The adjustment will maintain the intended function of the butterfish mortality cap by continuing to limit butterfish discards in the longfin squid fishery while accommodating a potential directed butterfish fishery during the 2013 fishing year.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is announcing the settlement of proceedings before five separate North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) binational dispute settlement panels.

On October 26, 2012, the Department of Commerce (the ``Department'') published the preliminary results of the second sunset review of the antidumping duty order on folding gift boxes from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results. The Folding Gift Boxes Fair Trade Coalition (``Domestic Parties'') \1\ filed comments in support of the Department's preliminary results and no other party submitted comments. Further, as a result of the determinations by the Department and the International Trade Commission (``ITC'') that revocation of the antidumping duty order would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping and material injury to an industry in the United States, the Department is publishing a notice of continuation of the antidumping duty order.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is conducting a new shipper review of the antidumping duty order on certain new pneumatic off-the-road tires (``OTR tires'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review (``POR'') is September 1, 2011, through February 29, 2012. The review covers a single entry of subject merchandise exported by Trelleborg Wheel Systems (Xingtai) China, Co. Ltd. (``Trelleborg Wheel Systems China'') and imported by its U.S. affiliate, Trelleborg Wheel Systems Americas. We have preliminarily found that Trelleborg Wheel Systems China did not make a sale of subject merchandise at less than normal value.

The ONMS is seeking applications for the following vacant seats on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Commercial Fishing. Applicants are chosen based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; philosophy regarding the protection and management of marine resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by the sanctuary. Applicants who are chosen should expect to serve until February 2016.

NMFS issues this proposed rule for the 2013 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006. This proposed rule would establish a formula, specifically [17.5 percent * (U.S. Total Allowable Catch)] plus 16,000 metric tons (mt), for determining the Pacific whiting tribal allocation for 2013 for Pacific Coast Indian tribes that have a Treaty right to harvest groundfish.