Department of Commerce November 2, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting via webinar of its Snapper Grouper Recreational Permitting and Reporting Technical Advisory Panel (AP) to discuss reporting and permitting alternatives for the private recreational snapper grouper fishery.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that producers and exporters of hot-rolled steel flat products (hot-rolled steel) from Japan, sold subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value during the period of review (POR) October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021.

As a result of the determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) that revocation of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on aluminum extrusions from the People's Republic of China (China), would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping, net countervailable subsidies, and material injury to an industry in the United States, Commerce is publishing a notice of continuation of the AD and CVD orders.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for Coastal Management, will hold a public comment period to solicit input on the performance evaluation of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 124 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) and Amendment 112 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If approved, Amendment 124 to the BSAI FMP and Amendment 112 to the GOA FMP would authorize the use of jig gear in the sablefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) and community development quota (CDQ) programs. Amendment 124 would also remove the residency requirements for Community Quota Entity (CQE). These amendments are intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the FMPs, and other applicable laws.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Navy on behalf of NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities associated with the relocation of NOAA research vessels at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible one-time, 1-year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 23 to the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 23 was developed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to establish a revised Atlantic mackerel rebuilding plan, set the 2023 Atlantic mackerel specifications and a river herring and shad catch cap for the Atlantic mackerel fishery, establish a recreational possession limit, and modify in-season closure measures. This action is necessary to prevent overfishing and rebuild the Atlantic mackerel stock based on a 2021 management track assessment that found the Atlantic mackerel stock remains overfished and subject to overfishing. The intended effect of this rule is to sustainably manage the Atlantic mackerel fishery and achieve optimum yield on a continuing basis.