Department of Commerce August 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The MAFMC's Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Monitoring Committee will meet via webinar to develop recommendations for future Atlantic mackerel and butterfish specifications and/or management measures.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a hybrid meeting of its Scallop Committee (Committee) to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for American Samoa.

NMFS is prohibiting retention of blackspotted and rougheye rockfish in the Central Aleutian and Western Aleutian districts (CAI/ WAI) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the 2024 blackspotted and rougheye rockfish total allowable catch (TAC) in the CAI/WAI of the BSAI has been reached.

The NMFS announces the initiation of a 5-year review for the Indus River dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor). NMFS is required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that the listing classifications of species are accurate. The 5-year review must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We request submission of any such information on the Indus River dolphin, particularly information on the status, threats, and recovery of the species that has become available since the previous review in 2016.

Notice is hereby given that Dan Engelhaupt, Ph.D., HDR, 4173 Ewell Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23455, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

This proposed rule would establish the 2025-26 harvest specifications for groundfish caught in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) seaward of Washington, Oregon, and California, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act or MSA) and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP). This proposed rule would also revise management measures intended to keep the total annual catch of each groundfish stock or stock complex within the annual catch limits. These proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, achieve optimum yield, and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available. This proposed rule would also make minor corrections (e.g. correcting grammar, removing outdated regulations, revisions for clarity) to the regulations. Additionally, this proposed rule announces the receipt of exempted fishing permit (EFP) applications. NMFS has made a preliminary determination that these applications warrant further consideration and is requesting public comment on these applications. This proposed rule also would implement amendment 33 to the PCGFMP, which would establish a rebuilding plan for California quillback rockfish and revise the allocation framework for shortspine thornyhead. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, NMFS also announces the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) that analyzes the potential effects of the associated proposed rule.

Under authority of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act (WCPFC Implementation Act), NMFS issues this final rule to shorten the duration of fish aggregating device (FAD) closure periods for the U.S. purse seine fishery. This action is necessary to satisfy the obligations of the United States under the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Convention), to which it is a Contracting Party.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that that critical circumstances exist, with respect to imports of ferrosilicon in the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of ferrosilicon from the Russian Federation (Russia). The AD period of investigation is July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, and the CVD period of investigation is January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies were provided to producers and exporters of wood mouldings and millwork products (millwork products) from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of review (POR) from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. Commerce is also rescinding the review with respect to one company that had no reviewable entries during the POR.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for a meeting of the Ocean Exploration Advisory Board (OEAB). OEAB members will discuss and provide advice on the Federal ocean exploration program, with a particular emphasis on the topics identified in the section on Matters to Be Considered.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding 123 entities under 131 entries to the Entity List. These entries are listed on the Entity List under the destinations of Canada (1), the People's Republic of China (China) (42), the Crimea Region of Ukraine (1), Cyprus (1), Iran (11), Kazakhstan (1), Kyrgyzstan (1), Russia (63), Turkey (8), Ukraine (1), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (1). Three entities are added to the Entity List under two destinations and two entities are added to the Entity List under three destinations, which accounts for the difference in the totals. These entities have been determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 2 to the Puerto Rico Fishery Management Plan (FMP), Amendment 2 to the St. Croix FMP, and Amendment 2 to the St. Thomas and St. John FMP (jointly Amendment 2) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 2 would prohibit and restrict the use of certain net gear in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters and would require a descending device be available and ready for use on vessels when fishing for federally managed reef fish in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters. The purpose of Amendment 2 is to protect habitats and species from the potential negative impacts associated with the use of certain net gear and to enhance the survival of released reef fish in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters.

On August 13, 2024, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued its final judgment in Yama Ribbons and Bows Co., Ltd. v. United States, Court No. 21-00402, sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's (Commerce) final results of redetermination pertaining to the administrative review of the countervailing duty order on narrow woven ribbons with woven selvedge (ribbons) from the People's Republic of China (China) covering the period January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018. Commerce is notifying the public that the CIT's final judgment is not in harmony with Commerce's final results of the administrative review, and that Commerce is amending the final results with respect to the countervailable subsidy rate assigned to Yama Ribbons and Bows Co. (Yama).

NMFS has received a request from Rio Grande LNG, LLC, (Rio Grande) for the reissuance of a previously issued incidental harassment authorization (IHA) with the only change being effective dates. The initial IHA authorized take of three species of marine mammals incidental to activities associated with the construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the Brownsville Ship Channel (BSC), Cameron County, Texas. The project has been delayed and none of the work covered in the initial IHA has been conducted. The initial IHA was effective from July 1, 2020, through June 31, 2021. Rio Grande has requested reissuance with new effective dates of January 15, 2025, through January 14, 2026. The scope of the activities and anticipated effects remain the same, authorized take numbers are not changed, and the required mitigation, monitoring, and reporting remains the same as included in the initial IHA. NMFS is, therefore, issuing an identical IHA to cover the incidental take analyzed and authorized in the initial IHA.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of the following: Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Committee, Habitat and Ecosystem Committee, and Snapper Grouper Committee. The meeting week will also include a formal public comment session and meetings of the Full Council.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a meeting of its Herring Advisory Panel to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.