Department of Commerce January 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in a framework action to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). If implemented, this rule would revise the daily bag limit for red grouper in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and remove the recreational post-season bag-limit reduction accountability measure (AM) for Gulf red grouper. Additionally, this rule would correct an error in the Gulf individual fishing quota (IFQ) multi-use provisions for the Grouper/Tilefish IFQ program. The purpose of this rule is to modify the Gulf red grouper recreational management measures to improve recreational fishing opportunities by achieving optimal yield for the red grouper resource.

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the Community Development Quota pollock directed fishing allowances from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea. This action is necessary to provide opportunity for harvest of the 2015 total allowable catch of pollock, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Enforcement Consultants (EC) will hold an online webinar, which is open to the public.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking input on issues regarding protections from disclosure for communications between patent applicants and Their advisors. The issues include: Whether and to what extent U.S. courts should recognize privilege for communications between foreign patent practitioners and their clients; the extent to which communications between U.S. patent applicants and their non-attorney U.S. patent agents should be privileged in U.S. courts; and whether and to what extent communications between U.S. patent practitioners and their clients should receive privilege in foreign jurisdictions. The USPTO is hosting a roundtable and soliciting written comments to gather information and views on these questions.

NMFS is releasing the draft NMFS Climate Science Strategy (NCSS) for public review and comment. Additional information, including the Strategy for download may be found at: https://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/ ecosystems/climate/.

NMFS reduces the trip limit in the hook-and-line component of the commercial sector for king mackerel in the southern Florida west coast subzone to 500 lb (227 kg) of king mackerel per day in or from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This trip limit reduction is necessary to protect the king mackerel resource in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf).

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Spiny Lobster Review Panel.

NMFS published a notice in the Federal Register on December 23, 2014, concerning an application from Point Blue Conservation Science (Point Blue) requesting an Incidental Harassment Authorization (Authorization) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting proposed seabird research activities on Southeast Farallon Island, A[ntilde]o Nuevo Island, and Point Reyes National Seashore in central California from January 2015 through January 2016. The December 23, 2014 notice did not contain an ending date for the public comment period. This notice correctly identifies the end of the public comment period as January 23, 2015.

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amount of Pacific cod from vessels using jig gear to catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 meters) length overall using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. This action is necessary to allow the A season apportionment of the 2015 total allowable catch of Pacific cod to be harvested.

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.

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.

The U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, and Energy (the ``Interagency Team'') announce an opportunity for U.S.-based suppliers and providers of clean energy, smart grid, and energy efficiency solutions to participate in the pilot phase of an interactive directory of renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions. The Interagency Team is currently developing an interactive app to serve as a mobile business directory for U.S. clean energy exporters. The app will highlight sustainability improvements at U.S. diplomatic missions and provide potential business partners globally with a searchable interface to find information on potential U.S. technology and service providers. The app will showcase a diverse array of clean energy goods and services, including renewable energy equipment (solar, wind, geothermal), biofuels, fuel cell power, smart grid technologies, and energy efficiency solutions, as well as U.S.-based services critical to the deployment of clean energy supplies. U.S. clean energy exporters interested in registering to be part of the pilot phase of the interactive directory and providing information on their company's solutions to be included in the app are requested to send an email to reee@trade.gov by no later than February 20, 2015.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting a new shipper review of Dezhou Kaihang Agricultural Science Technology Co., Ltd. (Dezhou Kaihang) regarding the antidumping duty order on certain preserved mushrooms from the People's Republic of China (the PRC). The period of review (POR) is February 1, 2013, through February 28, 2014.\1\ We preliminarily find that Dezhou Kaihang made a sale of subject merchandise at less than normal value. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

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.

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 notice announces receipt of an exempted fishing permit (EFP) application from the Alaska Seafood Cooperative (AKSC). If granted, this permit would allow AKSC to evaluate how often vessels use alternate halibut handling methods designed to reduce halibut mortality, when the alternate methods are available as an option. Operators from AKSC nonpelagic trawl vessels would remove halibut from a codend on the deck, and release those fish back to the water in a timely manner to increase survivability. These halibut would be sampled by trained sea samplers for length and physical condition using standard International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) halibut mortality assessment methodology. This experiment has the potential to promote the objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Pacific Halibut Act.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 32 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). If implemented, this rule would remove blueline tilefish from the deep-water complex; establish blueline tilefish commercial and recreational sector annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs); revise the deep-water complex ACLs and AMs; establish a blueline tilefish commercial trip limit; and revise the blueline tilefish recreational bag limit. The purpose of this rule is to specify ACLs and AMs for blueline tilefish to end overfishing of the stock and maintain catch levels consistent with achieving optimum yield (OY) for the blueline tilefish resource.

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.

NMFS announces its second request for applications for the 2015 shark research fishery from commercial shark fishermen with directed or incidental shark limited access permits. In this second request, NMFS is specifically requesting applications only from commercial shark fishermen who are fishing or plan to fish in the Gulf of Mexico fishing region. The shark research fishery allows for the collection of fishery-dependent and biological data for future stock assessments to meet the shark research objectives of the Agency. The only commercial vessels authorized to land sandbar sharks are those participating in the shark research fishery. Shark research fishery permittees may also land other large coastal sharks (LCS), small coastal sharks (SCS), and pelagic sharks. Commercial shark fishermen who are interested in participating in the shark research fishery need to submit a completed Shark Research Fishery Permit Application in order to be considered.

The SEDAR 39 assessment of the HMS Smoothhound Sharks: a Data Workshop; a series of Assessment webinars; and a Review Workshop.