Department of Commerce 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) is conducting four online workshops as part of its Fishery Ecosystem Plan Climate and Communities Initiative. Each workshop will have a regional focus (see Supplementary Information).

NMFS implements an accountability measure for the commercial sector of gray triggerfish in the South Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ). NMFS projects commercial landings of gray triggerfish will reach the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) for the July through December season by November 29, 2020. Therefore, NMFS is closing the commercial sector for gray triggerfish in the South Atlantic EEZ on November 29, 2020. This closure is necessary to protect the gray triggerfish resource.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that certain steel nails from Taiwan were sold in the United States at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.

NMFS is transferring 19.5 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quota from the Reserve category to the General category. This action is intended to provide additional opportunities for General category fishermen to participate in the December General category fishery, which is scheduled to reopen on December 1, 2020, and is based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments. This action would affect 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.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Atka mackerel in the Bering Sea subarea and Eastern Aleutian District (BS/EAI) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) by vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2020 total allowable catch (TAC) of Atka mackerel in the BS/EAI allocated to vessels participating in the BSAI trawl limited access sector fishery.

We (NMFS) announce a negative 90-day finding on a petition to delist the Arctic subspecies of ringed seal (Pusa hispida hispida) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition and information readily available in our files does not present new information or analyses that had not been previously considered and therefore does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. Nevertheless, we note that we are separately initiating a five-year review of the status of the Arctic ringed seal pursuant to section 4(c)(2) of the ESA, including whether the best scientific and commercial data available indicate delisting is warranted.

NMFS issues a final rule under the authority of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to approve and implement rebuilding plans recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) for two overfished salmon stocks: Klamath River fall-run Chinook salmon (KRFC) and Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon (SRFC). NMFS determined in 2018 that these stocks were overfished under the MSA, due to spawning escapement falling below the required level for the three-year period 2015-2017. The MSA requires overfished stocks to be rebuilt, generally within 10 years.

We, NMFS, propose to designate critical habitat for the threatened Caribbean corals: Orbicella annularis, O. faveolata, O. franksi, Dendrogyra cylindrus, and Mycetophyllia ferox pursuant to section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Twenty-eight mostly overlapping specific occupied areas containing physical features essential to the conservation of all these coral species are being proposed for designation as critical habitat; these areas contain approximately 15,000 square kilometers (km\2\; 5,900 square miles (mi\2\)) of marine habitat. We have considered positive and negative economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of the proposed designations, and we propose to exclude one area from the critical habitat designations due to anticipated impacts on national security. We are soliciting comments from the public on all aspects of the proposal, including our identification of the geographical area and depths occupied by the species, the physical and biological feature essential to the coral species' conservation and identification, areas not included and excluded, and consideration of impacts of the proposed action.

This notice sets forth the proposed schedule and agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC). The members will discuss and consider priorities and recommendations for the next four years and other organizational matters.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for arrowtooth flounder in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2020 arrowtooth flounder initial total allowable catch (ITAC) in the BSAI.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily finds that Nippon Steel and Sumikin Sales Vietnam Co., Ltd. (NSSVC), Hoa Sen Group (HSG), and Ton Dong A Corporation (TDA) made no shipments of corrosion- resistant steel products (CORE) from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of review (POR) from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results. In addition, Commerce is rescinding the administrative review, in part, for eight companies for which review requests were withdrawn.

NMFS received a request from the United States Navy (Navy) on October 14, 2020, for a modification to the incidental harassment authorization (IHA) that was issued on July 3, 2019 due to an elevated harbor seal take rate that was unanticipated. A small group of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) repeatedly entered into and remained within the Level A harassment zone, resulting in a take rate that was projected to exceed the authorized limit for this species. The Navy felt that without an increase in authorized take of harbor seal they would be forced to repeatedly shut down whenever animals entered into specified Level A harassment zones, which would impede their ability to get the work done in the time needed. Therefore, NMFS is proposing to modify the IHA to increase authorized take by Level A harassment of harbor seal. NMFS is also proposing to revise the shutdown mitigation provisions for harbor seals in the modified IHA. The monitoring and reporting measures remain the same as prescribed in the initial IHA and no additional take was requested for other species. NMFS will consider public comments on the requested modification prior to making any final decision and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is rescinding the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on cold-rolled steel flat products from Japan for the period July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020, based on the timely withdrawal of the request for review.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that certain producers/exporters subject to this review made sales of stainless steel bar (SS Bar) from India at less than fair value (LTFV) during the period of review (POR) February 1, 2018 through January 31, 2019. Commerce determines that mandatory respondent Venus Wire Industries Pvt. Ltd., and its affiliates Hindustan Inox, Precision Metals and Sieves Manufacturers (India) Pvt. Ltd. (collectively, the Venus Group), made sales at LTFV, while mandatory respondent Ambica Steels Limited (Ambica) did not make sales at LTFV.

Federal commercial tilefish permit holders are prohibited from fishing for, catching, possessing, transferring or landing tilefish in the Tilefish Management Unit for the remainder of the 2020 fishing year. This action is required when NMFS projects that 100 percent of the 2020 total allowable landings will have been caught by the effective date. This action is intended to prevent over-harvest of blueline tilefish for the fishing year.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip (PET film) from India. Commerce preliminarily determines that Jindal Poly Films Ltd. (Jindal) received countervailable subsidies during the Period of Review. The period of review (POR) is January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily assigned Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), the sole respondent subject to this antidumping duty (AD) administrative review, an AD margin based upon the application of total adverse facts available (AFA). We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that the exporters under review did not make sales of subject merchandise at prices below normal value (NV) during the period of review July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that producers/exporters subject to this review made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR) July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod, except for the Community Development Quota program (CDQ), in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the non-CDQ allocation of the 2020 Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) in the Bering Sea subarea of the BSAI.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain steel nails from Malaysia were sold in the United States at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. Additionally, we preliminarily find that certain companies made no shipments during the review period. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.