Although there are more than 200 species of bivalve mollusks worldwide described as cockles, only a half dozen are harvested on a significant scale as seafood. Once used widely as bait, cockles are now found at high-end restaurants. Because the cockle has only recently shifted from bait to plate status, the industry remains poorly regulated in many areas. Notable exceptions are New Zealand and Australia, where destructive mechanical harvesting is discouraged and handling and processing are well regulated. Most cockles sold in the United States are from New Zealand aquaculture operations for Austrovenus strutchburyi, while a smaller share is blood cockles (Anadara granosa), farmed in Thailand and Malaysia and harvested wild in Indonesia. South Australia is poised to enter the U.S. cockle market. Common cockles from the U.K. are sold in the United States primarily as specialty items (pickled or vacuum packed with vinegar). Although mangrove cockles (Anadara grandis) are an important artisanal fishery in many Pacific coastal communities from Mexico to Peru and the common cockle is an increasingly important U.K. fishery, the respective markets are primarily regional.