Department of Commerce June 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) (Amendment 8), as prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). If implemented, this rule would expand portions of the northern and western boundaries of the Oculina Bank habitat area of particular concern (HAPC) (Oculina Bank HAPC) and allow transit through the Oculina Bank HAPC by fishing vessels with rock shrimp onboard; modify vessel monitoring systems (VMS) requirements for rock shrimp fishermen transiting through the Oculina Bank HAPC; expand a portion of the western boundary of the Stetson Reefs, Savannah and East Florida Lithotherms, and Miami Terrace Deepwater Coral HAPC (CHAPC) (Stetson- Miami Terrace CHAPC), including modifications to the shrimp access area A, which is proposed to be renamed ``shrimp access area 1''; and expand a portion of the northern boundary of the Cape Lookout Lophelia Banks Deepwater CHAPC (Cape Lookout CHAPC). In addition, this proposed rule makes a minor administrative change to the names of the shrimp fishery access areas. The purpose of this rule is to increase protections for deepwater coral based on new information for deepwater coral resources in the South Atlantic.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the NOAA Science Advisory Board. The members will discuss and provide advice on issues outlined in the section on Matters to be considered. Time and Date: The meeting is scheduled for Monday June 23, 2014 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

On March 3, 2014, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') initiated the sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on 1-hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-diphosphonic acid (``HEDP'') from India and the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). Because the domestic interested parties did not participate in these sunset reviews, the Department is revoking these antidumping duty orders.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily determines that imports of unfinished polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs) from Taiwan are circumventing the antidumping duty order on PRCBs from Taiwan.\1\ As a result, imports of PRCBs from Taiwan will be subject to suspension of liquidation effective July 31, 2013. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

NMFS is closing the commercial blacktip shark fishery in the Gulf of Mexico region. This action is necessary because projections indicate that the commercial landings of Gulf of Mexico blacktip sharks for the 2014 fishing season could reach 80 percent of the available commercial quota as of June 3, 2014.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a three-day meeting, on June 17-19, 2014, to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its 116th Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and its 160th Council meeting to take actions on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region. The Council will also convene meetings of the Social Science Planning Committee (SSPC), Marine Planning and Climate Change Committee (MPCC), Advisory Panels (AP), Fishing Industry Advisory Panel (FIAP), Fishery Data Collection and Research Committee (FDCRC) and the Council's Pelagic Standing Committee and Executive and Budget Standing Committee.

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.