The latest update of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommendations gives consumers, chefs and retailers new options to choose ocean-friendly East Coast seafood caught in U.S. waters, with Atlantic haddock and Atlantic pollock rated as “Good Alternatives,” along with summer flounder, and Atlantic cod caught in the Gulf of Maine by hook-and-line fisheries.

The semi-annual update, which takes into account the latest assessments of the abundance of fisheries and other relevant data, was released today and published to the aquarium’s website, www.montereybayaquarium.org. The changes will be reflected on the Seafood Watch iPhone app later this month.

With these changes, fully 80 percent of the total dollar value of seafood landed in New England consists of species that are “Best Choices” or “Good Alternatives” under Seafood Watch criteria, according to data compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

That amounts to $625.7 million out of $780 million in total seafood landings for 2009 – the most recent year for which NMFS data are available.

Read the complete story from The Monterey Bay Aquarium.