BOSTON – The Bay State this week will disburse $11.3 million in federal aid to more than 500 commercial fishermen and fishing businesses hurt by limits on the harvest of “groundfish” such as cod, haddock and flounder, officials said today.

Those payments are slated to be issued this Friday, by electronic fund transfer (EFT) or check, the governor’s office said. Applicants with federal groundfish permits are receiving checks averaging $23,500 per fishing boat – based on the total number of qualified vessels and the number of days at sea allocated to each vessel – while those with state permits will receive just under $10,000 apiece, based only on the number of applicants who qualified.

Crew members affected by the federal limits are to receive another $1.4 million, the governor’s office said: $750,000 in direct aid, to be disbursed this November, and $650,000 to help support health insurance benefits for fishermen and their families.

“The over 1,500 miles of Massachusetts coastline and the communities located there are not just part of our history and identity but a vital part of our economy, contributing upwards of $2 billion each year in fisheries economic activity,” Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said.

Federal limits on the groundfish harvest have caused regional economic losses of about $22 million, the Patrick-Murray administration has said.

“I thank all our Congressional delegation – especially Senators [Edward M. ‘Ted’] Kennedy and [John] Kerry and Representatives Barney Frank, Bill Delahunt and John Tierney – for obtaining these funds and for working with my team to make sure they get into the hands of Massachusetts fishermen hard-hit by federal fishing restrictions,” Gov. Deval L. Patrick said in a statement today. “I look forward to working with them and the fishing industry on a more sustainable approach to fisheries management that both protects our natural resources and supports our coastal communities.”

The state’s relief plan, approved in July by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is funded by a $13.4 million federal appropriation. (READ MORE) The money was secured by state legislators after the federal government refused Patrick’s request last year that a fishery resource disaster be declared for Massachusetts.

NOAA allotted $338,000 to the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries – a division of the Mass. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Department of Fish and Game – to pay for administering the program. But actual expenses are expected to be far lower, allowing the Commonwealth to contribute up to an additional $225,000 to the health insurance program, state officials said.

The emergency aid “will be much appreciated by captains, crews and families up and down the Massachusetts coast who make their livings from the sea,” said Angela Sanfilippo, executive director of the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, an umbrella organization of fishing groups, and president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association.

Additional information about the Mass. Division of Fisheries and its 2008 Groundfish Assistance Program is available at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf.