[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33245-33246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14326]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD944
Determination That Italy Is Not a Large-Scale High Seas Driftnet
Nation
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Under the High Seas Driftnet Fisheries Enforcement Act and the
Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act (DPCIA), the Secretary of
Commerce has determined that Italy no longer has vessels that use
large-scale driftnets to fish on the high seas. Therefore, shipments of
certain fish and fish products from Italy are no longer required to be
accompanied by a Fisheries Certificate of Origin (NOAA Form 370) for
importation into the United States, and any NOAA Form 370 used for fish
or fish products from Italy no longer requires certification that the
fish was not harvested with large-scale driftnets on the high seas.
DATES: Effective June 4, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Niemeier, Foreign Affairs
Specialist; telephone: 301-427-8371, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 28, 1996, the U.S. Secretary of
Commerce identified Italy pursuant to the U.S. High Seas Driftnet
Fisheries Enforcement Act, 16 U.S.C. 1826a-1826c, as a nation for which
there was reason to believe its nationals or vessels were conducting
large-scale high seas driftnet fishing in contravention to United
Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/215. The identification invoked,
among other things, the provision of the DPCIA, 16 U.S.C. 1371(a)(2)(F)
that requires that an exporting nation whose fishing vessels engage in
high seas driftnet fishing provide documentary evidence that certain
fish and fish products (specified in regulations at 50 CFR
216.24(f)(2)) it wishes to export to the United States were not
harvested with large-scale driftnets anywhere on the high seas.
Effective May 29, 1996, all shipments from Italy containing the
specified fish and fish products became subject to this driftnet
reporting requirement.
The reporting requirement has persisted to the present day as a
deterrent to large-scale high seas driftnet fishing by Italy. The
United States has not received any reports of Italian fishing vessels
employing large-scale driftnets on the high seas since 2008. On April
2, 2015, the Government of Italy sent notification which certified that
no Italian vessel is involved in the use of large-scale driftnets on
the high seas. Italy will no longer be required to provide documentary
evidence that certain fish and fish products (specified in U.S.
regulations at 50 CFR 216.24(f)(2)(i) and (ii)) it wishes to export to
the United States were not harvested with large-scale driftnets on the
high seas. Furthermore, fish and fish products exported from Italy, and
imported into the United States under Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS)
numbers specified in U.S. regulations at 50 CFR 216.24(f)(2)(iii), will
no longer need to be accompanied by a Fisheries Certificate of Origin
(NOAA Form 370).
The HSDFEA furthers the purposes of United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 46/215, which called for a worldwide ban on large-scale high
seas driftnet fishing beginning December 31, 1992.
The DPCIA (16 U.S.C. 1371(a)(2)(F)) requires that an exporting
nation whose fishing vessels engage in high seas driftnet fishing
provide documentary evidence that certain fish or fish products it
wishes to export to the United States were not harvested with a large-
scale driftnet on the high seas. As
[[Page 33246]]
required by 50 CFR 216.24(f)(2), the NOAA Form 370 must accompany all
imported shipments of an item with an HTS number listed in that section
harvested by or imported from a large-scale driftnet nation.
As of the effective date of this notice, a certification by an
Italian Government representative attesting that the fish or fish
products were not harvested by a large-scale driftnet on the high seas
will no longer be required in Section 7 of the NOAA Form 370 for the
HTS numbers specified in 50 CFR 216.24(f)(2)(i) and (ii). Furthermore,
a NOAA Form 370 will no longer be required for any importation from
Italy for the non-tuna fish and fish products classified with the HTS
numbers specified at 50 CFR 216.24(f)(2)(iii).
Dated: June 4, 2015.
Eileen Sobeck,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-14326 Filed 6-10-15; 8:45 am]
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