[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9210-9211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3427]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Draft DOC National Aquaculture Policy

AGENCY: Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft aquaculture policy; request for 
comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (DOC) is seeking public comment on 
a draft national aquaculture policy that supports sustainable 
aquaculture in the United States. The intent of the policy is to guide 
DOC's actions and decisions on aquaculture and to provide a national 
approach for supporting sustainable aquaculture. The National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the

[[Page 9211]]

Department of Commerce is also seeking public comments on a NOAA draft 
aquaculture policy via a separate Federal Register Notice, and will 
host national call-in briefings for the public on the complementary 
NOAA and DOC draft aquaculture policies.

DATES: Public comments must be received by midnight, EST, April 11, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: The DOC draft national aquaculture policy is available 
online at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/policy2/index.htm. 
Paper copies of this document are also available on request from NOAA 
Aquaculture Program, Attn: Susan Bunsick, 1315 East-West Highway, 
SSMC3-13th Floor, Rm. 13152, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    You may submit comments, identified by ``DOC Aquaculture Policy,'' 
by any one of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments online by accessing http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/policy2/index.htm and following the instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Fax: (301) 713-9108, Attn: Susan Bunsick, NOAA Aquaculture 
Program.
     Mail: NOAA Aquaculture Program, Attn: Susan Bunsick, 1315 
East-West Highway, SSMC3-13th Floor, Rm. 13152, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910. Mark the outside of the envelope, ``Comments on DOC 
Aquaculture Policy.''
    Instructions: All comments received will be posted online. Do not 
submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. All comments and attachments will be reviewed 
based on the commenting guidelines listed below. If you have a question 
about the status of your comment, send an e-mail to 
[email protected]. Do not submit comments to this e-mail 
address. Use the comment form provided on line.
    Commenting Guidelines. In accordance with DOC's and NOAA's Online 
Privacy Policy, we treat your name, city, state, and any comments you 
provide as public information. You may enter a comment as `anonymous' 
if you do not want this information available to the public. Also, 
supporting documents, links, etc., are welcome as long as they are 
pertinent to the policy. However, the appearance of external links, 
advertisements, political opinions, or other comments do not constitute 
endorsement by Commerce, NOAA, or that of the U.S. Government.
    While this is a public process, DOC and NOAA will not post content 
that meets the following criteria:
    Contains vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind, threats, 
obscenity, or offensive terms that target specific ethnic or racial 
groups;
    Promotes services or products (non-commercial links that are 
relevant to the comment are acceptable);
    Are far off-topic (i.e., not pertinent to the draft policy); or
    Make unsupported accusations.
    You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft 
Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bunsick, NOAA Aquaculture 
Program, (301) 713-9079; fax: (301) 713-9108.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The draft Commerce Department aquaculture policy supports the 
development of sustainable aquaculture within the context of the key 
Commerce goals of encouraging economic growth and employment 
opportunities in the United States.

Informational Briefings for the Public

    The NOAA Aquaculture Program will host a series of informational 
briefings for stakeholders interested in learning more the 
complementary draft DOC and NOAA aquaculture policies. The briefings 
are as follows:

Feb. 16, 2011

10-11 a.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in--800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
4-5 p.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.

Feb. 23, 2011

10-11 a.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
4-5 p.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.

Rebecca Blank,
Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2011-3427 Filed 2-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P