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This rule proposes modifications to the current scup fishery commercial quota periods to enable the commercial fishery to more efficiently meet, but not exceed, the annual commercial scup quota. Currently, the scup quota is broken into three periods: Winter I (January 1 through April 30) receives 45.11 percent of the annual quota; Summer (May 1 through October 31) receives 38.95 percent, and Winter II (November 1 through December 31) receives an initial 15.94 percent with any unused Winter I quota rolled over into Winter II. Federal trip limits are imposed in the two Winter fishing periods; States impose landing restrictions in the Summer period. Larger vessels harvested scup offshore during the winter months and smaller vessels harvest scup inshore during the summer. Without the quota periods and Federal trip limits, the larger vessels would be able to fish the full annual quota earlier in the year, leaving no quota for the smaller inshore fleet. This action only proposes adjustments to the seasons of the three quota periods. It is not changing the possession limits or the amount of quota allocated annually to each period.