[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 241 (Monday, December 15, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 75988-75989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-29653]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 216

RIN 0648-AX36


Notification of Receipt of a Petition for Rulemaking to Implement 
the Provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act for Swordfish 
Imports

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce

ACTION: Receipt of petition for rulemaking; request for information and 
comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces receipt of a petition for rulemaking under the 
Administrative Procedure Act. Center for Biological Diversity and 
Turtle Island Restoration Network, non-governmental organizations, have 
petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce and other relevant 
Departments to initiate rulemaking to ban importation of commercial 
fish or products from fish that have been caught with commercial 
fishing technology that results in incidental mortality or serious 
injury of marine mammals in excess of United States standards.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 29, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
     Mail: Director, Office of International Affairs, Attn: 
Swordfish Petition, NMFS, F/IA, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910
     Fax: (301) 713-2313
    All comments received are a part of the public record and will 
generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All 
Personal Identifying Information (e.g., name, address) voluntarily 
submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit 
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information.
    NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required 
fields, if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic 
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or 
Adobe portable document file (pdf) formats only.
    The complete text of Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle 
Island Restoration Network's petition is available via the internet at 
the following web address: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ia/. In addition 
copies of this petition may be obtained by contacting NMFS at the above 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lekelia Jenkins at 301-713-9090 x131.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Section 101(a)(2) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), 16 
U.S.C. 1371(a)(2),states that ``The Secretary of the Treasury shall ban 
the importation of commercial fish or products from fish which have 
been caught with commercial fishing technology which results in the 
incidental kill or incidental serious injury of ocean mammals in excess 
of United States standards. For purposes of applying the preceding 
sentence, the Secretary [of Commerce] (A) shall insist on reasonable 
proof from the government of any nation from which fish or fish 
products will be exported to the United States of the effects on ocean 
mammals of the commercial fishing technology in use for such fish or 
fish products exported from such nation to the United States.''
    Some information pertinent to the effects of commercial fishing 
technology on marine mammals can be found in a report entitled 
``Worldwide Bycatch of Cetaceans: An evaluation of the most significant 
threats to cetaceans, the affected species and the geographic areas of 
high risk, and the recommended actions from various independent 
institutions.'' This report, published by NMFS Office of International 
Affairs and prepared by outside experts, was commissioned by NMFS to 
identify threats to cetaceans, ongoing efforts to address these 
threats, and prioritize areas where the agency could focus future 
initiatives to improve international cetacean conservation. The 
complete text of this report is available via the internet at the 
following web address: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ia/docs/OPR36.pdf.

Information in the Petition

    NMFS received the petition on March 5, 2008. The petition asserts 
that the Secretaries of Commerce and other relevant federal Departments 
are required to obtain reasonable proof from countries exporting 
swordfish and swordfish products to the U.S. regarding the effects of 
their commercial swordfish fishing technology on marine

[[Page 75989]]

mammals. The petition requests that the Secretary of the Treasury ban 
imports of swordfish from any and all countries that have not satisfied 
the MMPA section 101(a)(2) requirement. As support for the need for 
this action, the petition alleges potential deficiencies in the 
fishing, exporting, and other related practices of some nations that 
export swordfish to the United States without articulating any specific 
``U.S. standards'' that have been exceeded by other nations.
    The petition fails to define ``United States standards;'' rather, 
it describes marine mammal protection programs that the United States 
has implemented. NMFS will consider public comments received in 
determining whether to proceed with the request by Center for 
Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network. In addition 
to general comments on the petition, NMFS specifically requests 
comments on how to define ``United States standards'' as referenced in 
MMPA section 101(a)(2).

    Dated: December 10, 2008.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-29653 Filed 12-12-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S