This species is a widely distributed bivalve found from the western Barents Sea and northern Norway to the Iberian Peninsula, and south along the coast of West Africa to Senegal. Studies revealed the existence of significant genetic structure in remote localities from France, The Netherlands and Scotland (Krakau et al. 2012; Martínez et al. 2013). 

In the Netherlands, cockle occurs mainly along the coast of the Waddenzee and Oosterschelde. Cockle populations in the Waddenzee and Oosterschelde are considered as separate stock units. The geography and marine morphology of the Dutch coastline determines that interconnectivity between these regions is difficult to occur (FCI 2012).