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DOC/NOAA RIN: 0648-AV61 Publication ID: Spring 2009 
Title: Rule to Implement a Minimum Possession Size Limit on Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus)  
Abstract: The United States is a major importer of spiny lobster from the Caribbean, importing more than 88,000 tons (over 194 million lbs) over the past 10 years, worth an estimated $2.27 billion dollars. The United States imports over 90 percent of the spiny lobster harvested in Brazil, Colombia, Central America and the Caribbean countries. The major exporters to the United States are the Bahamas, Brazil, Honduras and Nicaragua. All of these exporting countries have some form of minimum size requirement, but they are not standardized and enforcement is severely lacking. Therefore, NOAA Fisheries Service in coordination with the Caribbean, South Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils is proposing to place a minimum size limit restriction on imports to curtail the flow of undersized lobster harvested in foreign countries. 
Agency: Department of Commerce(DOC)  Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant 
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Completed Actions 
Major: No  Unfunded Mandates: No 
CFR Citation: 50 CFR 622    50 CFR 640   
Legal Authority: 16 USC 1801   
Legal Deadline:  None
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
Notice of Intent  07/26/2007  72 FR 41063   
Notice of Availability   10/15/2008  73 FR 61015   
NPRM  10/29/2008  73 FR 64295   
NPRM Comment Period End  12/15/2008    
Final Action   01/12/2009  74 FR 1148   
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes  Government Levels Affected: Federal, Local, State, Tribal 
Small Entities Affected: Businesses, Governmental Jurisdictions, Organizations  Federalism: No 
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No 
RIN Data Printed in the FR: Yes 
Agency Contact:
Roy Crabtree
Regional Administrator, Southeast Region
Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service, 263 Thirteenth Avenue South,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone:727 570-5305
Fax:727 570-5583
Email: roy.crabtree@noaa.gov