Department of Commerce – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in April, May, and June of 2024. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted in 2024 and will be announced in a future notice. In addition, NMFS has implemented online recertification workshops for persons who have already taken an in-person training.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) published notice in the Federal Register of March 6, 2024, in which Commerce issued the final results of the 2021-2022 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on seamless carbon and alloy steel standard, line, and pressure pipe (seamless pipe) from Ukraine. In that notice, Commerce incorrectly listed the name of the mandatory respondent in the rate table.

The deadline to file a complaint in the matter of Tin Mill Products from Canada; Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less than Fair Value and Final Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances was March 11, 2024. No complaint was timely filed pursuant to the USMCA Rules of Procedure for Article 10.12 Binational Panel Reviews (Rules). As such, this panel review has been completed.

This final rule implements status quo harvest limits for the 2024 golden tilefish and blueline tilefish fisheries north of the North Carolina/Virginia border, shifts the recreational season for blueline tilefish to May 15 through November 14, and modifies regulations to reflect the January 1 start date of the golden tilefish fishing year. The action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels and other management measures to prevent overfishing while allowing optimum yield, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.

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.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of Mexico fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Ecosystem Workgroup (EWG) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

NMFS implements an accountability measure for the recreational harvest of gag in South Atlantic Federal waters. NMFS projects that recreational landings of gag will reach the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for the 2024 fishing year by June 15, 2024. Accordingly, NMFS announces the closure date for the recreational harvest of gag in South Atlantic Federal waters to protect the gag resource.

NMFS corrects an error in the final rule designating critical habitat for threatened Caribbean corals that published in the Federal Register on August 9, 2023. The final rule incorrectly identified the northern geographic extent of critical habitat designated for Orbicella franksi as St. Lucie Inlet, Martin County, Florida in the ``Table of the Locations of the Critical Habitat Units for Orbicella franksi, O. annularis, O. faveolata, Dendrogyra cylindrus, and Mycetophyllia ferox,'' codified at 50 CFR 266.230(b) and in Table 4 of the Critical Habitat Unit Descriptions in the preamble of the rule. This correcting amendment fixes that error by revising the description of the geographic extent of the OFRA-1 Unit to refer to Lake Worth Inlet, Palm Beach County, Florida.

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on behalf of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), publishes as regulations the 2024 annual management measures governing the Pacific halibut fishery that have been recommended by the IPHC and accepted by the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Commerce. These measures are intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut and further the goals and objectives of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC).

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received a permit application (25803) from NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center Fisheries Ecology Division (FED) to continue hatchery activities associated with the Southern Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program (SCSCBP, or program) in accordance with its Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan (HGMP). The application has been submitted pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. NMFS has also prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) describing the potential effects of NMFS' proposed issuance of the Permit associated with the submitted HGMP. NMFS is furnishing this notice in order to allow other agencies, Tribes, and the public an opportunity to review and comment on these documents.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that certain paper shopping bags (paper shopping bags) from the Republic of Turkey (Turkey) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) during the period of investigation (POI) April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to certain producers and exporters of aluminum extrusions from Mexico. The period of investigation is January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

In this final rule, BIS amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to apply more restrictive treatment to exports and reexports to, and transfers (in-country) within, Nicaragua of items subject to the EAR. This action is consistent with the State Department's addition of Nicaragua to the list of countries that are subject to a U.S. arms embargo under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). To reflect this changed status under the ITAR, BIS adds Nicaragua to Country Group D:5. BIS's amendments also address concerns regarding the Nicaraguan Government's commission of human rights abuses against citizens and civil society groups, as well as the regime's ongoing military and security cooperation with Russia. Specifically, BIS is moving Nicaragua from Country Group B to Country Group D, a more restrictive country grouping, applying a stringent licensing policy for items controlled for national security reasons, and making the country subject to `military end use' and `military end user' restrictions. This rule advances the U.S. Government's efforts to restrict the availability of items subject to the EAR to Nicaragua's military and security services. Additionally, consistent with BIS's authorities under the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, this rule demonstrates a commitment to using export controls to protect human rights and promote democracy.

Notice is hereby given that Lars Bejder, Ph.D., University of Hawaii at Manoa, 46-007 Lilipuna Road, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on cetaceans.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.