Department of Commerce July 25, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS issues this final rule to implement the annual catch limit (ACL), and associated annual reference points for Pacific sardine in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Pacific coast for the fishing season of July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. The 2014-2015 ACL for Pacific sardine is 23,293 metric tons (mt). The initial overall commercial fishing target that is to be allocated across the three allocation periods for sardine management is 19,293 mt. This amount will be divided across the three seasonal allocation periods for the directed fishery the following way: July 1-September 147,718 mt; September 15-December 314,823 mt; and January 1-June 306,752 mt, with an incidental set-aside of 500 mt for each of the three periods. These specifications were determined according to the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This rule is intended to conserve and manage the Pacific sardine stock off the U.S. West Coast. This rule also announces that the directed fishing harvest total for the first allocation period (July 1-September 14) has been reached and therefore directed fishing for Pacific sardine is now closed until September 15, 2014.

NMFS is closing the fisheries for commercial blacknose sharks and non-blacknose SCS in the Atlantic region. This action is necessary because the commercial landings of Atlantic blacknose sharks for the 2014 fishing season has exceeded 80 percent of the available commercial quota as of July 22, 2014.

This final rule announces inseason changes to management measures in the Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries. This action, which is authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP), is intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) ad hoc Lower Columbia River Natural Coho Workgroup (LRC Workgroup) will hold a public work session August 14, 2014 at the Pacific Council office in Portland, OR. The meeting is open to the public, but is not intended as a public hearing. Public comments will be taken at the discretion of the LRC Workgroup chair as time allows.

The NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) announces its intent to evaluate the performance of the Indiana Coastal Management Program, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia. The Coastal Zone Management Program evaluations will be conducted pursuant to section 312 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended (CZMA) and regulations at 15 CFR part 923, Subpart L. The CZMA requires continuing review of the performance of states with respect to coastal management program implementation. Evaluation of a Coastal Management Program requires findings concerning the extent to which a state has met the national objectives, adhered to its Coastal Management Program document approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and adhered to the terms of financial assistance awards funded under the CZMA. The National Estuarine Research Reserve evaluation will be conducted pursuant to sections 312 and 315 of the CZMA and regulations at 15 CFR part 921, subpart E and part 923, subpart L. Evaluation of a National Estuarine Research Reserve requires findings concerning the extent to which a state has met the national objectives, adhered to its Reserve final management plan approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and adhered to the terms of financial assistance awards funded under the CZMA. The evaluations will include a public meeting, consideration of written public comments and consultations with interested Federal, state, and local agencies and members of the public. When the evaluation is completed, OCRM will place a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Final Evaluation Findings. Notice is hereby given of the date, local time, and location of the public meeting.

NMFS announces approval of a marine conservation plan (MCP) for the Northern Mariana Islands.

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Samuel Wasser, Ph.D., University of Washington, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98195 to conduct research on killer whales (Orcinus orca).

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain polyester staple fiber from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''). The period of review (``POR'') is June 1, 2012, through May 31, 2013. The Department preliminarily determines that Takayasu Industrial (Jiangyin) Co., Ltd. (``Takayasu'') did not sell subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value (``NV'') during the POR June 1, 2012, through May 31, 2013. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on chlorinated isocyanurates (chlorinated isos) from the People's Republic of China (PRC). The period of review (POR) is June 1, 2012, through May 31, 2013. This administrative review covers five producers/exporters: (1) Arch Chemicals (China) Co. Ltd. (Arch China); (2) Hebei Jiheng Chemical Co., Ltd.(Jiheng); (3) Heze Huayi Chemical Co. Ltd. (Heze); (4) Juancheng Kangtai Chemical Co., Ltd. (Kangtai); and (5) Zhucheng Taisheng Chemical Co., Ltd. (Zhucheng). Jiheng and Kangtai are the two producers/exporters being individually examined as mandatory respondents. We preliminarily determine that Jiheng and Kangtai made sales in the United States at prices below normal value (NV). Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that we have issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the U.S. Navy (Navy) to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, five species of marine mammals during construction activities associated with a wharf construction project in Hood Canal, Washington.