Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Removing the Processing Restriction on Incidentally Caught Squids and Sculpins in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Groundfish Fisheries

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/26/2021.

NMFS issues this proposed rule to remove the regulatory restriction that limits processing of squids and sculpins to fishmeal only. This proposed rule is necessary to allow the processing and sale of squids and sculpins as products other than fishmeal and thereby to help prevent waste of the incidental catch of these ecosystem component species....

Pacific Island Fisheries; Mariana Archipelago Bottomfish Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/22/2021.

This rulemaking proposes to establish annual catch limits (ACL) and annual catch targets (ACT) for bottomfish in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and accountability measures (AM) to correct or mitigate any overages by reducing the ACL and or ACT for the subsequent year. The proposed ACLs, ACTs, and AMs would be...

Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fisheries; Proposed 2021-2026 Fishing Quotas

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/17/2021.

NMFS proposes status quo commercial quotas for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries for 2021 and projected status quo quotas for 2022-2026. This action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels of Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs that will prevent overfishing and allow harvesting of optimum yield. This action would also...

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2021 Harvest Specifications for Pacific Whiting, and 2021 Pacific Whiting Tribal Allocation

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/16/2021.

NMFS issues the proposed rule for the 2021 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006, and other applicable laws. This proposed rule would allocate 17.5 percent of the U.S. total allowable catch...

Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Catch Sharing Plan

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/12/2021.

NMFS proposes to approve changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A off of Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, NMFS proposes to implement management measures governing the 2021 recreational fisheries that are not implemented through the International...

Endangered and Threatened Species; Critical Habitat for the Threatened Indo-Pacific Corals, Extension of Public Comment Period

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/09/2021.

We, NMFS, are extending the public comment period by 30 days for our proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on November 27, 2020, to designate critical habitat for seven threatened corals in U.S. waters in the Indo-Pacific (Acropora globiceps, Acropora jacquelineae, Acropora retusa, Acropora speciosa, Euphyllia paradivisa, Isopora...

Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 20 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/09/2021.

NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 20 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce. If approved, Amendment 20 would modify the preseason schedule for implementing annual management measures and would move the southern boundary of the...

Endangered and Threatened Species; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Arctic Subspecies of the Ringed Seal and Designation of Critical Habitat for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment of the Bearded Seal; Public Hearings

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/01/2021.

We, NMFS, will hold three public hearings on both our January 8, 2021, revised proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the threatened Arctic subspecies of the ringed seal (Pusa hispida hispida) and our proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the threatened Beringia distinct population segment (DPS) of the Pacific bearded seal...

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery Off the Atlantic States; Amendment 12

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/29/2021.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 12 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery off the Atlantic States (Dolphin Wahoo FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 12 to the Dolphin Wahoo FMP (Amendment 12) would...

Endangered and Threatened Species; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment of the Bearded Seal

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/27/2021.

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to U.S. Navy Construction at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/13/2021.

Endangered and Threatened Species: Designation of Nonessential Experimental Population of Central Valley Spring-Run Chinook Salmon in the Upper Yuba River Upstream of Englebright Dam, CA; Extension of Public Comment Period

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/12/2021.

We, NMFS, announce the extension of the public comment period on our December 11, 2020, 30-day proposal of a rule to designate and authorize the release of a nonessential experimental population (NEP) of Central Valley (CV) spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the upper Yuba River and its...

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations for Interagency Cooperation

by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/12/2021.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively referred to as the ``Services'' or ``we'') propose to amend the Services' consultation regulations under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, pertaining to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The proposed...

Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion Project in Norfolk, Virginia

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/08/2021.

NMFS has received a request from the Hampton Roads Connector Partners (HRCP) for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental to pile driving and removal activities at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion Project (HRBT) in Norfolk, Virginia over the course of five years (2021-2026). Pursuant to the Marine Mammal...

Endangered and Threatened Species; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment of the Bearded Seal

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/08/2021.

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), propose to designate critical habitat for the Beringia distinct population segment (DPS) of the Pacific bearded seal subspecies Erignathus barbatus nauticus under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposed designation comprises an area of marine habitat in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort...

Endangered and Threatened Species; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Arctic Subspecies of the Ringed Seal

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/08/2021.

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), announce revisions to our December 9, 2014, proposed designation of critical habitat for the Arctic subspecies of the ringed seal (Pusa hispida hispida) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The revised proposed designation comprises an area of marine habitat in the Bering, Chukchi, and...

International Fisheries; Pacific Tuna Fisheries; 2021 Commercial Fishing Restrictions for Pacific Bluefin Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/05/2021.

NMFS is proposing regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950, as amended (TCA), to implement Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) Resolution C-20-02 (``Measures for the Conservation and Management of Bluefin Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, 2021''). This proposed rule would implement annual limits on commercial catch of...

Rights to Federally Funded Inventions and Licensing of Government Owned Inventions

by the National Institute of Standards and Technology on 01/04/2021.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requests comments on proposed revisions to regulations that would further the Return on Investment (ROI) Initiative for Unleashing American Innovation. The proposed revisions to ``Rights to Inventions Made by Nonprofit Organizations and Small Business Firms under Government Grants,...

Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Commercial Fishing Operations; Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Regulations; Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; American Lobster Fishery

by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/31/2020.

NMFS proposes to amend the regulations implementing the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury to North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in northeast commercial lobster and crab trap/ pot fisheries...

Disclaimer Practice in Patents and Patent Applications

by the Patent and Trademark Office on 12/30/2020.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) proposes to amend the rules of practice to expand when certain types of patent applicants and patentees may, subject to other conditions, obtain or enforce a second patent for an invention that is similar (i.e., patentably indistinct) to a first patent. Ordinarily, in examination before the...