Department of Commerce September 21, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for northern rockfish in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2018 northern rockfish initial total allowable catch (ITAC) specified for the BSAI.

In response to a request from the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood (the petitioner), the Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating an anti-circumvention inquiry pursuant to section 781(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), to determine whether certain plywood with face and back veneers of radiata and/or agathis pine that is circumventing the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on certain hardwood plywood products from the People's Republic of China (China).

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of sodium gluconate, gluconic acid and derivative products from the People's Republic of China (China).

NMFS transfers 60 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quota from the Reserve category to the September 2018 subquota period and closes the General category fishery for large medium and giant BFT until the General category reopens on October 1, 2018. The quota transfer is intended to provide additional fishing opportunities based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments and applies to Atlantic tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat category permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT. Given that the adjusted quota is projected to be caught quickly, the closure is to prevent overharvest of the adjusted General category September 2018 BFT subquota.

NMFS issues regulations that authorize formation of a recreational quota entity (RQE) that could participate in the Pacific Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota Program in International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A in the Gulf of Alaska. The RQE is authorized to purchase and hold a limited amount of commercial halibut quota share that will yield additional pounds of recreational fishing quota on an annual basis to augment the amount of halibut available for harvest in the charter halibut fishery. The RQE will provide a mechanism for a compensated reallocation of a portion of commercial halibut quota share to the charter halibut fishery. This final rule is necessary to promote social and economic flexibility in the charter halibut fishery, and is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, and other applicable laws.