Department of Commerce March 12, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season apportionment of the 2013 Pacific cod total allowable catch allocated to trawl catcher vessels in the BSAI.

In response to requests from interested parties, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') is conducting the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (``Vietnam'') for the period of review (``POR'') February 1, 2011, through January 31, 2012. The Department has preliminarily determined that sales by the Minh Phu Group,\1\ and Nha Trang Seafoods,\2\ the two mandatory respondents, and Quoc Viet,\3\ the voluntary respondent, have not been made below normal value (``NV''). Additionally, the Department has preliminarily determined not to revoke the order in part, with respect to Nha Trang Seafoods.\4\

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Thailand with respect to 150 \1\ companies. The respondents which the Department selected for individual examination are Marine Gold Products Limited (Marine Gold), and Thai Union Frozen Products Public Co., Ltd. and Thai Union Seafood Co., Ltd. (collectively, Thai Union).\2\ The period of review (POR) is February 1, 2011, through January 31, 2012.

On November 5, 2012, the Department of Commerce (the Department) initiated the second sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from India, Indonesia, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine. The Department finds that revocation of these antidumping duty orders would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping at the margins identified in the ``Final Results of Sunset Reviews'' section of this notice.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 28 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper- Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. Amendment 28 proposes actions to establish a process for determining whether the limited harvest and possession of red snapper in or from the South Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ) could occur during a given fishing year. Amendment 28 specifies the process and formula for setting commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACLs) for red snapper if a limited fishing season may occur and specifies accountability measures (AMs). Amendment 28 also proposes during a limited fishing season to eliminate the current red snapper minimum size limit, establish a recreational bag limit and a commercial trip limit for red snapper, and establish a process for setting commercial and recreational fishing seasons for red snapper beginning in 2013. The intent of Amendment 28 is to continue the rebuilding of the red snapper stock and to provide socio-economic benefits to snapper-grouper fishermen and communities that utilize the red snapper resource.

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in April, May, and June of 2013. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to 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 2013 and will be announced in a future notice.

NMFS announces that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 42 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). Amendment 42 would revise the annual economic data reports (EDRs) currently required of participants in the Crab Rationalization Program (CR Program) fisheries. The EDRs include cost, revenue, ownership, and employment data the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS use to study the economic impacts of the CR Program on harvesters, processors, and affected communities. Amendment 42 is necessary to eliminate redundant reporting requirements, standardize reporting across participants, and reduce costs associated with the data collection. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the FMP, and other applicable laws.

Notice is hereby given that George Burgess, Ph.D., Florida Museum of Natural History, Dickinson Hall, University of Gainesville, Gainesville, FL 32611, has been issued a permit to take smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) for purposes of scientific research.

The SEDAR 28 assessment of the Gulf of Mexico Spanish mackerel and cobia fisheries will consist of a series of workshops and supplemental webinars. This notice is for the Review Workshop portion of the SEDAR process. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The SEDAR assessment of the HMS stocks of Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead sharks will consist of one in-person workshop and a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.