Federal Register Round-Up: Fisheries, Explosives, Carrier Registration, and Securities Valuation

Suriname Drift Gillnet Fishery Regains U.S. Import Access

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that Suriname's drift gillnet fishery (Fishery ID 2899) has received a comparability finding under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), effective June 22, 2026, with the finding valid through December 31, 2029, or for such other period as NMFS may specify. The MMPA precludes the import into the United States of fish and fish products taken in foreign commercial fisheries that cause serious injury and mortality of marine mammals in excess of U.S. standards. Suriname had previously been denied a comparability finding for that fishery in NMFS's 2025 determination cycle, announced September 2, 2025 (90 FR 42395), which triggered an import prohibition beginning January 1, 2026. Nations may reapply for a comparability finding for affected fisheries at any time, and NMFS determined that Suriname has addressed the issues for which it was denied. With this notice, the corresponding import prohibition is removed.

West Coast Ocean Salmon: 60-Day Comment Window on Reporting Requirements

The Department of Commerce and NMFS are seeking public comment through August 21, 2026 on an extension of an approved information collection covering reporting requirements for the ocean salmon fishery off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California (OMB Control Number 0648-0433). Ocean salmon fisheries conducted in the U.S. exclusive economic zone, 3–200 nautical miles off those West Coast states, are managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and NMFS under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Annual management measures specify regulatory areas, catch restrictions, and landing restrictions based on stock abundance forecasts, and require catch and landings to be reported to appropriate state and tribal agencies to allow for timely and accurate accounting of the season's catch, pursuant to 50 CFR 660.404 and 50 CFR 660.408(o).

The notice explains that NMFS acknowledges unsafe weather or mechanical problems could prevent commercial fishermen from making landings at the times and places specified, and the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires conservation and management measures to promote the safety of human life at sea. Accordingly, annual management measures include provisions to exempt commercial salmon fishermen from compliance with landing requirements when they experience unsafe weather conditions or mechanical problems, so long as appropriate notifications are made by at-sea radio and cellular telephone. NMFS also maintains measures to keep fishery impacts within conservation objectives for the California Coastal Chinook salmon (50 CFR 660.410(d)(3)), with the State of California requiring that fish tickets with the number of Chinook salmon landed be entered into the California Department of Fish and Wildlife electronic landing database, and NMFS requiring this to be completed within 24 hours of landing. The collection covers an estimated 40 respondents, with an estimated 15 minutes per response and an estimated total annual burden of 10 hours.

ATF Publishes 2026 Annual List of Explosive Materials

The Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives published its 2026 Annual List of Explosive Materials, effective June 22, 2026, as required by 18 U.S.C. 841(d) and 27 CFR 555.23. The Department of Justice must publish and revise the list at least annually in the Federal Register. The 2026 list supersedes the List of Explosive Materials published June 13, 2025 (Docket No. 2025N-01, 90 FR 25077); however, the notice states that the explosive materials on the 2026 list are the same as those on the 2025 Annual List. The list covers explosives, blasting agents, and detonators, all of which are defined as "explosive materials" under 18 U.S.C. 841(c), and each material listed, as well as all mixtures containing any of these materials, constitute "explosive materials" under that provision. Materials constituting blasting agents are marked by an asterisk. The notice clarifies that the 2026 list is comprehensive but not all-inclusive: the fact that an explosive material is not on the annual list does not mean it falls outside the law's coverage if it otherwise meets the statutory definition. Subject to limited exceptions in 18 U.S.C. 845 and 27 CFR 555.141, only Federal explosives licensees and permittees may possess and use explosive materials, including those on the annual list.

UCR Plan Board Seeks Motor Carrier Industry Nominee

The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan Board of Directors is soliciting nominations of qualified individuals from the motor carrier industry for consideration by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for appointment to the UCR Plan Board, with nominations due on or before August 10, 2026. The vacancy is among the five director seats representing the motor carrier industry, and the selected individual will serve a term beginning immediately on appointment and expiring on May 31, 2027. The UCR Plan Board's statutory authority derives from Section 4305(b) of SAFETEA-LU (Pub. L. 109-59), which enacted 49 U.S.C. 14504a. Under the UCR Agreement, motor carriers, motor private carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies involved in interstate transportation must register with a state and pay certain fees. The Board must issue rules and regulations to govern the UCR Agreement and must recommend to the Secretary of Transportation annual registration fees to be assessed against carriers, leasing companies, brokers, and freight forwarders. The authority to appoint an individual to the vacant position lies with the Secretary of Transportation, delegated to FMCSA. All nominations must include a current resume and indicate that the nominee meets the statutory requirements specified in 49 U.S.C. 14504a(d)(1)(B)(iii).

SEC Solicits Comments on Rule 2a-5 Fund Valuation Information Collection

The Securities and Exchange Commission is soliciting comments on the extension of an information collection under Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (OMB Control Number 3235-0779), which governs fair value determinations by registered investment companies and business development companies. Under 17 CFR 270.2a-5, fair value determinations in good faith require assessing and managing material risks, selecting and testing fair value methodologies, and overseeing pricing services. The rule permits a fund's board to designate a "valuation designee" — the adviser of the fund or an officer of an internally managed fund — to perform fair value determinations. When such designation is made, the rule requires the valuation designee to report to the board both periodically and as needed on a per-fund basis. Periodic requirements include at least quarterly written reports summarizing material fair value matters from the prior quarter, including material changes to valuation risks, fair value methodologies, and pricing service oversight; and at least annual written assessments of the adequacy and effectiveness of the valuation designee's process, including a summary of testing results and an assessment of resources allocated to the process.

What to Watch

• August 10, 2026 — Deadline for nominations to the UCR Plan Board of Directors motor carrier industry vacancy.
• August 21, 2026 — Deadline for public comments on NOAA's West Coast ocean salmon fishery reporting requirements information collection.
• December 31, 2029 — Expiration of Suriname's MMPA comparability finding for its drift gillnet fishery (Fishery ID 2899), subject to NMFS modification.