[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 62 (Thursday, April 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16436-16437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7397]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-533-840]


Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From India: Initiation of 
Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce

DATES:  Effective Date: April 1, 2010.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) has received 
information sufficient to warrant the initiation of a changed 
circumstances review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen 
warmwater shrimp from India. Specifically, based on a request filed by 
Srikanth International, the Department is initiating a changed 
circumstances review to determine whether Srikanth International is the 
successor-in-interest to NGR Aqua International (NGR).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blaine Wiltse; AD/CVD Operations, 
Office 2, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-6345.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On February 1, 2005, the Department published in the Federal 
Register an antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp 
from India. See Notice of Amended Final Determination of Sales at Less 
Than Fair Value and Antidumping Duty Order: Certain Frozen Warmwater 
Shrimp from India, 70 FR 5147 (Feb. 1, 2005) (Shrimp Order).
    On February 3, 2010, Srikanth International informed the Department 
that it purchased the packing plant formerly owned and operated by NGR, 
and provided certain documentation related to this claim. Additionally, 
Srikanth International requested that the Department conduct an 
expedited changed circumstances review under 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(iii) 
to confirm that Srikanth International is the successor-in-interest to 
NGR for purposes of determining antidumping duty cash deposits and 
liabilities.
    Normally, the Department will initiate a changed circumstances 
review within 45 days of the date on which the request is filed. See 19 
CFR 351.216(b). However, as explained in the memorandum from the Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, the Department has 
exercised its discretion to toll deadlines for the duration of the 
closure of the Federal Government from February 5 through February 12, 
2010. Thus, all deadlines in this segment of the proceeding have been 
extended by seven days. The revised deadline for initiating this review 
is now March 29, 2010. See Memorandum to the Record from Ronald 
Lorentzen, DAS for Import Administration, regarding ``Tolling of 
Administrative Deadlines As a Result of the Government Closure During 
the Recent Snowstorm,'' dated February 12, 2010.

Scope of the Order

    The scope of this order includes certain frozen warmwater shrimp 
and prawns, whether wild-caught (ocean harvested) or farm-raised 
(produced by aquaculture), head-on or head-off, shell-on or peeled, 
tail-on or tail-off,\1\ deveined or not deveined, cooked or raw, or 
otherwise processed in frozen form.
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    \1\ ``Tails'' in this context means the tail fan, which includes 
the telson and the uropods.
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    The frozen warmwater shrimp and prawn products included in the 
scope of this order, regardless of definitions in the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), are products which are processed 
from warmwater shrimp and prawns through freezing and which are sold in 
any count size.
    The products described above may be processed from any species of 
warmwater shrimp and prawns. Warmwater shrimp and prawns are generally 
classified in, but are not limited to, the Penaeidae family. Some 
examples of the farmed and wild-caught warmwater species include, but 
are not limited to, whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannemei), banana prawn 
(Penaeus merguiensis), fleshy prawn (Penaeus chinensis), giant river 
prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon), 
redspotted shrimp (Penaeus brasiliensis), southern brown shrimp 
(Penaeus subtilis), southern pink shrimp (Penaeus notialis), southern 
rough shrimp (Trachypenaeus curvirostris), southern white shrimp 
(Penaeus schmitti), blue shrimp (Penaeus stylirostris), western white 
shrimp (Penaeus occidentalis), and Indian white prawn (Penaeus 
indicus).
    Frozen shrimp and prawns that are packed with marinade, spices or 
sauce are included in the scope of this order. In addition, food 
preparations, which are not ``prepared meals,'' that contain more than 
20 percent by weight of shrimp or prawn are also included in the scope 
of this order.
    Excluded from the scope are: (1) Breaded shrimp and prawns (HTSUS 
subheading 1605.20.10.20); (2) shrimp and prawns generally classified 
in the Pandalidae family and commonly referred to as coldwater shrimp, 
in any state of processing; (3) fresh shrimp and prawns whether shell-
on or peeled (HTSUS subheadings 0306.23.00.20 and 0306.23.00.40); (4) 
shrimp and prawns in prepared meals (HTSUS subheading 1605.20.05.10); 
(5) dried shrimp and prawns; (6) canned warmwater shrimp and prawns 
(HTSUS subheading 1605.20.10.40); (7) certain dusted shrimp; and (8) 
certain battered shrimp. Dusted shrimp is a shrimp-based product: (1) 
That is produced from fresh (or thawed-from-frozen) and peeled shrimp; 
(2) to which a ``dusting'' layer of rice or wheat flour of at least 95 
percent purity has been applied; (3) with the entire surface of the 
shrimp flesh thoroughly and evenly coated with the flour; (4) with the 
non-shrimp content of the end product constituting between four and ten 
percent of the product's total weight after being dusted, but prior to 
being frozen; and (5) that is subjected to IQF freezing immediately 
after application of the dusting layer. Battered shrimp is a shrimp-
based product that, when dusted in accordance with the definition of 
dusting above, is coated with a wet viscous layer containing egg and/or 
milk, and par-fried.
    The products covered by this order are currently classified under 
the following HTSUS subheadings: 0306.13.00.03, 0306.13.00.06, 
0306.13.00.09, 0306.13.00.12, 0306.13.00.15, 0306.13.00.18, 
0306.13.00.21, 0306.13.00.24, 0306.13.00.27, 0306.13.00.40, 
1605.20.10.10, and 1605.20.10.30. These HTSUS subheadings are provided 
for convenience and for customs purposes only and are not dispositive, 
but rather the written description of the scope of this order is 
dispositive.

Initiation of Changed Circumstances Review

    Pursuant to section 751(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended 
(the Act), the Department will conduct a changed circumstances review 
upon receipt of information concerning, or a request from an interested 
party for a review of, an antidumping duty order which

[[Page 16437]]

shows changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review of the 
order. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.216(d), the Department has 
determined that the information submitted by Srikanth International 
includes evidence sufficient to warrant initiating a changed 
circumstances review. In antidumping duty changed circumstances reviews 
involving a successor-in-interest determination, the Department 
typically examines several factors including, but not limited to, 
changes in the following: (1) Management; (2) production facilities; 
(3) supplier relationships; and (4) customer base. See, e.g., Brake 
Rotors From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Changed 
Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 70 FR 69941 (Nov. 
18, 2005); and Notice of Final Results of Changed-Circumstances 
Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: Polychloroprene Rubber from 
Japan, 67 FR 58 (Jan. 2, 2002). While no single factor or combination 
of factors will necessarily provide a dispositive indication of a 
successor-in-interest relationship, the Department will generally 
consider the new company to be the successor to the previous company if 
the new company's resulting operation is not materially dissimilar to 
that of its predecessor. See, e.g., Fresh and Chilled Atlantic Salmon 
from Norway: Final Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty 
Administrative Review, 64 FR 9979 (Mar. 1, 1999). Thus, if the record 
evidence demonstrates that, with respect to the production and sale of 
subject merchandise, the new company operates as the same business 
entity as the predecessor company, the Department will accord the new 
company the same antidumping treatment as its predecessor. Id. at 9980.
    Based on the information provided in its submission, Srikanth 
International has provided sufficient evidence to warrant a review to 
determine if it is the successor-in-interest to NGR. Therefore, 
pursuant to section 751(b)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.216(d), we are 
initiating a changed circumstances review. However, although Srikanth 
International has provided information regarding the transfer of 
facilities from NGR to Srikanth International, we require additional 
time to solicit further information related to the four successor-in-
interest factors listed above. Accordingly, we have determined that it 
would be inappropriate for the Department to expedite this action by 
combining the preliminary results of review with this notice of 
initiation, as permitted under 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii). As a result, 
the Department is not issuing preliminary results for this changed 
circumstances review at this time.
    The Department expects to issue questionnaires requesting 
additional information for the review and will publish in the Federal 
Register a notice of preliminary results of changed circumstances 
review in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4) and 351.221(c)(3)(i). 
That notice will set forth the factual and legal conclusions upon which 
our preliminary results are based and a description of any action 
proposed. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)(ii), interested parties will 
have an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results. The 
Department will issue its final results of review in accordance with 
the time limits set forth in 19 CFR 351.216(e).
    This notice is in accordance with section 751(b)(1) of the Act.

    Dated: March 26, 2010.
John M. Andersen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing 
Duty Operations.
[FR Doc. 2010-7397 Filed 3-31-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P