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

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and the NMFS Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers (NWFSC and SWFSC, respectively) will hold a public workshop to review and critique its groundfish stock assessment process in 2015. The Groundfish Stock Assessment Process Review Workshop is open to the public.

In this notice, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) International Trade Administration (ITA) announces that it will begin accepting applications for the International Buyer Program (IBP) for calendar year 2017 (January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017). The announcement also sets out the objectives, procedures and application review criteria for the IBP. The purpose of the IBP is to bring international buyers together with U.S. firms in industries with high export potential at leading U.S. trade shows. Specifically, through the IBP, the ITA selects domestic trade shows which will receive ITA assistance in the form of global promotion in foreign markets, provision of export counseling to exhibitors, and provision of matchmaking services at the trade show. This notice covers selection for IBP participation during calendar year 2017.

This final rule implements Amendment 9 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 9) to bring smoothhound sharks under Federal management and establishes an effective date for previously-adopted shark management measures finalized in Amendment 3 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP (Amendment 3) and the 2011 Final Rule to Modify the Retention of Incidentally-Caught Highly Migratory Species in Atlantic Trawl Fisheries (August 10, 2011) (2011 HMS Trawl Rule). Specifically, this final rule establishes Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regional smoothhound shark annual commercial quotas based on recent stock assessments; implements the shark gillnet requirements of the 2012 Shark and Smoothhound Biological Opinion (BiOp); and modifies current regulations related to the use of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) by Atlantic shark fishermen using gillnet gear. The term ``smoothhound sharks'' collectively refers to smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis), Florida smoothhound (M. norrisi), Gulf smoothhound (M. sinusmexicanus), small eye smoothhound (M. higmani), and any other Mustelus spp. that might be found in U.S. waters of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean, collectively. This rule also implements the smooth dogfish specific provisions in the Shark Conservation Act of 2010 (SCA). The SCA requires that all sharks landed from Federal waters in the United States be landed with their fins naturally attached to the carcass, but includes a limited exception for smooth dogfish. For the Federal Atlantic shark fisheries, current HMS regulations require federally-permitted shark fishermen to land all sharks with fins naturally attached to the carcass. The SCA's fins-attached requirement is being addressed nationwide through a separate ongoing rulemaking. This final rule only addresses the provision contained in the SCA that allows at-sea fin removal of Atlantic smooth dogfish. Additionally, NMFS will hold an operator-assisted, public conference call and webinar on December 15, 2015, to discuss the methodology used to calculate the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico smoothhound shark quotas (see ADDRESSES).

The Department of Commerce publishes this notice to announce the effective date of a Privacy Act System of Records notice entitled Notice of Amendment to: COMMERCE/DEPT-5, Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Request Records.

The Department of Commerce publishes this notice to announce the effective date of a Privacy Act System of Records notice entitled ``Notice of Proposed Amendment to Privacy Act System of Records: COMMERCE/NOAA-16, Crab Economic Data Report (EDR) for BSAI off the Coast of Alaska.''

This notice announces a change in the location of a public meeting of the multistakeholder process concerning the collaboration between security researchers and software and system developers and owners to address security vulnerability disclosure.

The New England Fishery Management Council announces its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an environmental impact statement in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. An environmental impact statement may be necessary to provide analytical support for Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, which would set criteria for a limited entry program for the small-mesh multispecies (whiting) fishery. This notice is to alert the interested public of the scoping process and potential development of a draft environmental impact statement and to outline opportunity for public participation in that process.

The SEDAR 45 assessment of the Gulf of Mexico Vermilion Snapper will consist of one in-person workshop and a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) announces, in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a test of the International Trade Data System (ITDS) involving the electronic submission to CBP of forms and certifications related to importation of uranium products from the Russian Federation (Russia), using the Document Image System (DIS) of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). CBP and Commerce have developed this program to test and assess the electronic transmission to CBP of certain import documentation for incoming shipments subject to the applicable provisions of the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation (Suspension Agreement).\1\ The test will involve forms and certifications required by the Suspension Agreement for shipments of uranium products from Russia that must be filed with CBP at the time of entry when an entry has been filed in ACE. Under this test, such documents must be submitted using DIS. This test applies to all entry types filed in ACE at any port. The electronic submission to CBP of such documentation through DIS is in addition to, and does not replace, the timely filing of the documentation required by the Suspension Agreement with Commerce through Enforcement and Compliance's (E&C) electronic filing system, Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS), available at access.trade.gov.\2\

NMFS proposes to implement annual catch limits (ACL) and, where necessary, other annual reference points (overfishing limits (OFL) and acceptable biological catches (ABC)) for certain stocks in the monitored and prohibited harvest species categories under the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The proposed ACLs are: Jack mackerel, 31,000 metric tons (mt); northern subpopulation of northern anchovy, 9,750 mt; central subpopulation of northern anchovy, 25,000 mt; and krill, zero. Additionally, an OFL of 39,000 mt, an ABC of 9,750 mt and an annual catch target (ACT) of 1,500 mt is being proposed for the northern subpopulation of northern anchovy. This rule is intended to conserve and manage these stocks off the U.S. West Coast. If the ACL for any one of these stocks is reached, then fishing for that stock will be closed until it reopens at the start of the next fishing season.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting.

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

Notice is hereby given of a meeting via web conference call of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (Committee). The web conference calls are open to the public, and participants can dial in to the calls. Participants who choose to use the web conferencing feature in addition to the audio will be able to view the presentations as they are being given.

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for commercial king mackerel in the western zone of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) through this temporary final rule. NMFS has determined that the commercial quota for king mackerel in the western zone of the Gulf EEZ will be reached by November 17, 2015. Therefore, NMFS closes the western zone of the Gulf EEZ to commercial king mackerel fishing on November 17, 2015. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf king mackerel resource.

This notice announces receipt of an exempted fishing permit (EFP) application from the Alaska Seafood Cooperative (AKSC). If granted, this permit would allow up to five AKSC-member Amendment 80 vessels to conduct experimental fishing in two subareas of the Bering Sea that are closed to fishing with trawl gear. Under the permit, experimental fishing with non-pelagic trawl gear would be authorized in Reporting Area 516 of Zone 1 that is otherwise closed to all trawl gear and the Red King Crab Savings Area (RKCSA) that is otherwise closed to non-pelagic trawl gear. The AKSC would collect data on crab prohibited species catch (PSC) rates during commercial groundfish fishing operations inside the Area 516 seasonal closure, the RKCSA, and adjacent areas that are currently open to non-pelagic trawling. The objective of the EFP is to evaluate PSC rates and overall catch of target species in the above-mentioned closed areas compared with the areas currently open to fishing with trawl gear. This experiment has the potential to promote the objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

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.