New regs for Thursday: Foreign exchange students, giant manta rays, fish

Thursday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for foreign exchange students, as well as protections for giant manta rays.

Here’s what is happening:

Foreign exchange: The State Department is proposing new rules for foreign exchange students and their host families.

The rules would address the summer work travel program. Among other changes, they would limit the number of times foreign students can participate in exchange programs and require them to be placed with a host family before arriving.

The public has 45 days to comment.

Rays: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing to protect giant manta rays.

Giant manta rays are a threatened species, the agency said Wednesday.

“We have determined that the giant manta ray is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout a significant portion of its range,” the agency wrote in the Federal Register.

But the NMFS declined to list reef manta rays as endangered or threatened.

The protections come in response to a petition from Defenders of Wildlife.

The public has 60 days to comment.

Fish: But the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will not protect Alabama shad fish.

The NMFS was reviewing a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to protect these fish, but declined to on Wednesday.

“We conclude that the Alabama shad is not currently in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range and is not likely to become so within the foreseeable future,” the agency said.

The finding goes into effect immediately.