Effective strategies for stock assessment and sustainable management have not been developed for cockle fisheries. Development of the fishery for maximum economic value must be conducted within a framework of sustainable exploitation. The South Australian cockle fishery has recently moved to management under a TAC. Consequently there is potential to develop a harvest strategy that matches target size and product availability with market requirements. To achieve this requires development of robust indices of relative abundance as well as detailed knowledge of the market requirements and potential management tools.