U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry have criticized federal fishery regulators' plan to nip a $481,000 "administrative fee" off the top of a $13.4 million appropriation earmarked to help fishermen hurt by federal regulations.

The senators' comments came as state officials held the second of a set of three public meetings in fishing ports to gather input on the distribution of the money — intended as "emergency" relief to the Massachusetts groundfish fleet that has been reeling under National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mandates that limit catch and days at sea.

After meetings Tuesday in New Bedford and Wednesday in Plymouth, the final public meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 tonight at the Division of Marine Fisheries Station, 30 Emerson Ave. in Gloucester.

After that, division director Paul Diodati has said he would make adjustments to the draft spending plan he published last Friday, and then submit it to NOAA.

The agency asked for the state's plan by April 15, and said that, if it fit with NOAA's ideas, the money could be released "quickly." NOAA did not say what would happen if the two sides don't agree — and some type of impasse seems inevitable.

Even before NOAA told the state it intended to keep $481,000 as an administrative fee, the agencies' plans were at odds — with the state proposing to give nearly all the money to fishermen and NOAA announcing that no more than half should go directly to fishermen, with up to 60 percent being used to buy out fishing boats and permits and further shrink the size of the fleet.

The U.S. senators from Maine — Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins — have broached a similar idea of relief through buy-outs to representatives of the Maine groundfishing industry.

Sens. Kerry and Kennedy's criticism was expressed in a letter Monday to Conrad Lautenbacher Jr., administrator of the NOAA, whose agency took possession of the earmarked $13.4 million after President George W. Bush signed an omnibus budget bill in December.

"Instead of ensuring this assistance goes to those that need it most," the senators' letter said, "the agency has proposed to withhold a large amount of these vital resources for administrative purposes."

That idea, they said, was "unacceptable."

Yesterday, Lautenbacher's spokeswoman, Teri Frade, said NOAA was proposing to retain 3.5 percent of the gross rather than the 5 percent it "routinely" keeps; she said the agency would use the money to process and monitor the program administered by the state Division of Marine Fisheries.

In an e-mail message to the Times, however, Kerry condemned that idea as a wasteful game.

"We've got fishermen struggling on the edge of bankruptcy, and now NOAA is going to take half a million dollars out of these family pockets and dump it into bureaucracy," his e-mail message said.

"I strongly urge NOAA to reconsider its decision, reduce administrative costs, and immediately provide the direct funding to the people who need help," he said.

The hearing in New Bedford brought out similar criticisms of the NOAA position, but also highlighted some secondary issues and revealed some of the conflict within the fishing community on which of its members should be receiving direct aid.

Arguments were made that some money should be granted directly to crew members, and Diodati said he would search for ways to "see if we can do more for the crew" — though he noted the difficulty in identifying and distributing the money fairly to crews.

Dan McKiernan, deputy director of the division, said boat owners said they would see that crews got money as a means of maintaining their loyalty.

Antonio Pereira, who owns a New Bedford dragger, said he understood the importance for crew members to "get a piece of the pie."

This story includes reporting from the Associated Press and staff writer Becky W. Evans of The Standard-Times of New Bedford.

Richard Gaines can be reached at rgaines@gloucestertimes.com