Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 25 / Friday, February 6, 2004 / Notices 5837

completion of the review, of a single 

entry bond or security in lieu of a cash 

deposit for certain entries of the 

merchandise exported by the abovelisted companies, e.g.: Exporter Anhui 

Honghui certified that it produced and 

exported the subject merchandise for 

the sale under review; thus, we will 

instruct Customs to limit Anhui 

Honghui’s bonding option only to 

entries of such merchandise for which 

it is both the producer and exporter. 

Exporter Eurasia certified itself and 

Chuzhou as the producer of subject 

merchandise for the sale under review; 

thus, we will instruct Customs to limit 

the bonding option only to entries of 

subject merchandise exported by 

Eurasia and produced either by Eurasia 

or Chuzhou. Exporter Inner Mongolia 

Youth certified Qinhuangdao as the 

producer of subject merchandise; thus, 

we will limit the bonding option to 

entries of subject merchandise produced 

by Qinhuangdao and exported by Inner 

Mongolia Youth. Exporter Jiangsu 

Kanghong certified that it produced and 

exported the subject merchandise; thus, 

we will instruct Customs to limit 

Jiangsu Kanghong’s bonding option only 

to entries of subject merchandise for 

which it is both the producer and 

exporter. 

Interested parties that need access to 

proprietary information in these new 

shipper reviews should submit 

applications for disclosure under 

administrative protective orders in 

accordance with 19 CFR 351.305 and 

351.306. This initiation and notice are 

in accordance with section 751(a) of the 

Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(a)) and 19 CFR 

351.214(d).

Dated: January 30, 2004. 

Joseph A. Spetrini, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration, Group III.

[FR Doc. 04–2630 Filed 2–5–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[ID. 012904A]

Fisheries Off West Coast States and in 

the Western Pacific; Pacific Coast 

Groundfish Fishery; Application for an 

Exempted Fishing Permit

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of the Receipt an 

exempted fishing permit application, 

announcement of the intent to issue the 

EFP, request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt 

of an exempted fishing permit (EFP) 

application from the Oregon Department 

of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). If 

awarded, this EFP will allow qualifying 

vessels to harvest and retain federally 

managed groundfish in excess of 

cumulative trip limits. This is otherwise 

prohibited. Vessels fishing under this 

EFP will be required to carry a federal 

fisheries observer during all EFP fishing. 

This EFP proposal is intended to 

promote the objectives of the Pacific 

Coast Groundfish Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) by assessing the 

effectiveness of a new discard reduction 

strategy for the trawl fishery.

DATES: Comments must be received by 

February 23, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP 

application are available from Becky 

Renko Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 

Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 1, Seattle, 

WA 98115–0070.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Becky Renko (206)526–6150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

action is authorized by the FMP and 

implementing regulations at 50 CFR 

600.745 and 50 CFR 660.350.

Dover sole, shortspine thornyhead, 

longspine thornyhead, and sablefish 

(DTS complex) are abundant and 

important upper continental slope 

species in the Pacific Coast groundfish 

fishery. Reductions in cumulative catch 

limits (trip limits) for the DTS complex 

in recent years have created strong 

incentives for vessels to high-grade their 

catch (keep only the most valuable fish) 

to maximize its value. In addition, 

differences between trip limits for the 

different DTS species may not 

accurately reflect the true ratios of the 

species that actually occur in the catch 

of the individual vessels. This could 

result in one species being discarded, 

because the trp limits of that species 

have been reached, while the vessel 

continues to fish for another species in 

the DTS complex. When the trip limits 

are reduced or when the ratios between 

species do not reflect what is actually 

harvested very high levels of discarded 

catch can result. An experimental 

research project conducted by ODFW in 

2003 suggests that discarded catch 

levels can be reduced by redefining 

market categories and the associated 

price structure.

The purpose of the proposed 

exempted fishing activity is to collect 

data that can be used to examine the 

feasability of using a new discardreduction strategy as a management tool 

for the DTS complex trawl fishery. 

Written agreements between the vessel, 

processors and the State of Oregon will 

be used to redefine existing market 

categories for the DTS species; to create 

an EFP price for each redefined category 

of marketable DTS species; and to 

require the full retention of all 

marketable Dover sole and sablefish and 

all rockfish (Sebastes and Sebastolobus). 

Modest economic benefits to the 

participating vessels and processors are 

anticipated. If this EFP is successful, 

these benefits are expected to create an 

economic incentive that will encourage 

further development of this discard 

reduction approach.

Three vessels from three different 

ports along the Oregon coast will be 

used to fish under this EFP. The EFP 

fishing will occur from March to June 

2004. Because this EFP applies to 

vessels using large footrope trawl gear, 

all depth restrictions and cumulative 

limits restrictions specific to the use of 

large footrope trawl gear as announced 

in the Federal Register will apply to the 

EFP fishing. Vessels will be required to 

all marketable Dover sole and sablefish 

and all rockfish (including 

thornyheads). The proceeds from the 

sale of DTS species in excess of the EFP 

limits and non-DTS species that are 

retained in excess of cumulative trip 

limits as published in the Federal 

Register will be forfeited to the state of 

Oregon.

During the effective dates of the EFP, 

participating vessels must carry a 

federal fisheries observer whenever they 

fish under the EFP. Observers will 

collect data from which the composition 

of discarded and landed catch can be 

estimated and they will assure that all 

rockfish are being retained by the 

participating vessel.

The total amount (discard plus 

retained) of Dover sole allowed to be 

taken under this EFP is not expected to 

exceed 125 metric tons(mt), the total 

amount (discard plus retained) of 

shortspine thornyhead allowed to be 

taken under this EFP is not expected to 

exceed 122 mt. The total amount 

(discard plus retained) of longspine 

thornyhead allowed to be taken under 

this EFP is not expected to exceed 63 mt 

and the total amount (discard plus 

retained) of sablefish taken under this 

permit is not expected to exceed 367 mt.

The EFP fishing will be constrained 

by the following EFP limits for 

overfished species: yelloweye rockfish 

1.2 mt, canary rockfish 0.1 mt, lingcod 

0.2 mt, widow rockfish 0 mt, Pacific 

whiting 145 mt, darkblotch rockfish 6.0 

mt, and POP 23 mt. If the total catch of 

any one of these species reaches the EFP 

5838 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 25 / Friday, February 6, 2004 / Notices 

limits, the EFP will be terminated for 

the remainder of the 2004 fishing year.

All EFP harvests of overfished species 

are expected to be within the EFP setasides within the OYs specified for 

2004. The harvests of other groundfish 

species also are expected to be within 

the Optimum Yields (OYs) specified for 

2004. Therefore, no groundfish OY is 

expected to be exceeded as a result of 

this EFP fishing. At the Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Council) 

November 2003, meeting in Del Mar, 

CA, the applicants presented their EFP 

application to the Council. The Council 

considered the application and 

recommended that NMFS issue the EFP 

for the proposed activity. Data collected 

during this project are expected to have 

a broad significance to the management 

of the groundfish fishery by providing 

information that can be used to examine 

the feasability of using this new discard 

reduction strategy in the trawl fishery 

for the DTS complex. The information 

gathered through this EFP may lead to 

future rulemakings. Copies of the 

applications are available for review 

from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).

Dated: February 2, 2004.

Peter H. Fricke,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 04–2631 Filed 2–5–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 010703A]

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Public meeting.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a special one-day Council meeting 

on February 24, 2004 to consider actions 

affecting New England fisheries in the 

U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Tuesday, February 24, 2004. The 

meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

Wentworth-by-the-Sea,588 Wentworth 

Road, New Castle NH 03854; telephone 

603/422–7322. Requests for special 

accommodations should be addressed to 

the New England Fishery Management 

Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, 

Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone 

(978) 465–0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul 

J. Howard, Executive Director, New 

England Fishery Management Council, 

(978) 465–0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Following introductions, NOAA 

Fisheries will present information and 

consult with the Council on a 

recommendation by the Atlantic States 

Fisheries Commission to re-open 

Federal waters to fishing for striped 

bass. The Council will then consider 

final approval of Framework 

Adjustment 16 to the Atlantic Sea 

Scallop Fishery Management Plan 

(FMP)/ Framework Adjustment 39 to the 

Northeast Multispecies FMP. The action 

would allow scallop vessels to fish in 

areas previously closed to them for 

groundfish conservation purposes. 

Measures include, but are not limited to: 

boundaries for the access areas; 

adjustments to the habitat closure 

definitions in the Scallop FMP to be 

consistent with those in Amendment 13 

to the Northeast Multispecies FMP; area 

rotation order and fishing mortality 

targets; a mechanism for allocating trips 

and days-at-sea use in the access areas 

for part-time and occasional limited 

access scallop vessels; specifications for 

minimizing bycatch and bycatch 

mortality, including recommendations 

from the Council’s Groundfish 

Committee; groundfish possession 

limits; observer coverage and an 

associated funding mechanism; and gear 

and other restrictions for general 

category scallop vessels. Following this 

agenda item, the Council intends to 

review and approve comments the 

proposed rule for Amendment 13 to the 

Northeast Multispecies FMP for 

submission to NOAA Fisheries. The 

meeting is scheduled to adjourn after 

any other outstanding business is 

addressed.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul 

J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 

days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: February 2,2004.

Peter H. Fricke,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 04–2632 Filed 2–5–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

COMMITTEE FOR THE 

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE 

AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of an Import Limit for 

Certain Cotton Textile Products 

Produced or Manufactured in Nepal

February 2, 2004.

AGENCY: Committee for the 

Implementation of Textile Agreements 

(CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the 

Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and 

Border Protection.

EFFECTIVE DATE: February 6, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy 

Unger, International Trade Specialist, 

Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. 

Department of Commerce, (202) 482–

4212. For information on the quota 

status of this limit, refer to the Quota 

Status Reports posted on the bulletin 

boards of each Customs port, call (202) 

927–5850, or refer to the Bureau of 

Customs and Border Protection website 

at http://www.cbp.gov. For information 

on embargoes and quota re-openings, 

refer to the Office of Textiles and 

Apparel website at http://

otexa.ita.doc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural 

Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); 

Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as 

amended.

The current limit for Category 369-S 

is being increased for carryover.

A description of the textile and 

apparel categories in terms of HTS 

numbers is available in the 

CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel 

Categories with the Harmonized Tariff 

Schedule of the United States (see 

Federal Register notice 69 FR 4926, 

published on February 2, 2004). Also 

see 68 FR 68598, published on 

December 9, 2003.

James C. Leonard III,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation 

of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile 

Agreements

February 2, 2004.

Commissioner,

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, 

Washington, DC 20229

Dear Commissioner: This directive 

amends, but does not cancel, the directive 

issued to you on December 3, 2003, by the 

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation 

of Textile Agreements. That directive 

concerns imports of certain cotton and man–

made fiber textile products, produced or 

manufactured in Nepal and exported during 

the twelve-month period which began on 

January 1, 2004 and extends through 

December 31, 2004.