Department of Commerce December 17, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is partially rescinding its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on drawn stainless steel sinks from the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the period of review (POR) April 1, 2014, through March 31, 2015.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for groundfish, other than demersal shelf rockfish, by catcher vessels (C/Vs) using hook-and- line gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the Pacific halibut bycatch allowance specified for the other hook-and- line fishery by C/Vs in the GOA has been reached.

We, NMFS, announce the extension of the comment period for the Proposed Endangered Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plan for Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon (Proposed Plan) published on November 2, 2015. The Proposed Plan addresses the Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) evolutionarily significant unit (ESU), which is listed as threatened under the ESA. The geographic area covered by the Proposed Plan is the lower and middle mainstem Snake River and tributaries as well as the mainstem Columbia River below its confluence with the Snake River. As required under the ESA, the Proposed Plan contains objective, measurable delisting criteria, site-specific management actions necessary to achieve the Proposed Plan's goals, and estimates of the time and costs required to implement recovery actions. We are soliciting review and comment from the public and all interested parties on the Proposed Plan. The close of the comment period is being extendedfrom January 4, 2016, to February 5, 2016to provide additional opportunity for public comment.

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 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) is announcing new indirect cost rates on the recovery of indirect costs for its component organizations involved in natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities for fiscal year (FY) 2014. The indirect cost rates for this fiscal year and date of implementation are provided in this notice. More information on these rates and the DARRP policy can be found at the DARRP Web site at www.darrp.noaa.gov.

NMFS proposes to issue a permit for a period of three years to authorize the incidental, but not intentional, taking of individuals from five marine mammal stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) flatfish trawl, the BSAI pollock trawl, and the BSAI Pacific cod longline fisheries. In accordance with the MMPA, NMFS must issue this permit provided it can make the determinations that: The incidental take will have a negligible impact on the affected stocks; a recovery plan for all affected stocks of threatened or endangered marine mammals has been developed or is being developed; and a take reduction plan and monitoring program have been implemented, and vessels in these fisheries are registered. NMFS has made a preliminary determination that incidental taking from commercial fishing will have a negligible impact on the endangered Western North Pacific (WNP) stock of humpback whales, endangered Central North Pacific (CNP) stock of humpback whales, endangered Western U.S. stock of Steller sea lions, threatened Alaska stock of ringed seals, and Alaska stock of bearded seals. Accordingly, NMFS solicits public comments on the draft negligible impact determination (NID) and on the proposal to issue a permit to vessels that operate in these fisheries for the taking of affected endangered or threatened stocks of marine mammals.