Population genomics of the basket cockle in the southern Salish Sea: Assessing genetic risks of stock enhancement for a culturally important marine bivalve.

Coastal Indigenous communities that rely on subsistence harvests are uniquely vulnerable to declines in nearshore species. The basket cockle is among the favored foods of Indigenous people along the northwest Pacific coast of North America, yet localized declines in their abundance have led to interest in stock enhancement efforts. We used a population genomics approach to examine potential risks associated with stock enhancement of in the southern Salish Sea, a large inland estuary that includes Puget Sound.