The International Co-operative Fisheries Organisation (ICFO) was originally founded in 1966, as a sub-committee of the ICA's Agricultural Committee. It became an independent body in 1976 and was known as the ICA Fisheries Committee. The Chairman of the sub-committee of fisheries under the Agriculture Committee was Mr. Pierre Lacour, President of Confederation de la Cooperation de la Mutualite et du Crdedit Maritimes (CCMCM) of France.

The sub-committee of fisheries became independent in 1976, and Mr. Jirozaemon Saito, the then board member of National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (ZENGYOREN) of Japan was elected as the first Chairman of the independent Fisheries Committee of ICA. (The international co-operative fisheries organization of ICA was called "Fisheries Committee of ICA" in those days.)

On 16 November, 2009, at the annual general meeting of ICFO held in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr. Ikuhiro Hattori (president of National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations, JF ZENGYOREN), the third Chairman of ICFO, retired from the Chairmanship. Mr. Lee Jong Koo, president of National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (KNFC), South Korea, was elected as the fourth Chairman.

On 2 November 2013, during the annual meeting of ICFO held in Cape Town, South Africa, Mr. Lee Jong Koo was reelected as the Chairman of ICFO. In March 2015, Mr. Lee Jong Koo’s term as President of the Korean National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives came to an end. Consequently, Mr. Kim Im Kweon, who was newly elected as the 24th president of Korean National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives succeeded as the fifth Chairman. On 13 October 2019, Mr. Im Joon Taek, the 25th President of KNFC, became the sixth Chairman of ICFO. On 26 June 2023, Mr. No Dong Jin, the 26th President of KNFC, became the seventh Chairman of ICFO through the approval of the members during the annual meeting in Brussels, Belgium. Strating from June 2023, the ICFO assumed the role of a Board Director of the Internatinal Cooperative Alliance(ICA).

The secretariat of ICA Fisheries Committee was served by ICA headquarters in London until 1980. From late 1980 to early 1982, ZENGYOREN dispatched its staff (Mr. Kiyokazu Nakagawa) to ICA headquarters in London to work as a joint secretariat staff of ICA Fisheries Committee.
In 1983, the ICA headquarters moved from London to Geneva, Switzerland, and the person seconded from ZENGYOREN returned to ZENGYOREN, Tokyo. However, ZENGYOREN continued to serve as Joint-Secretariat of ICA Fisheries Committee until 1987.

ZENGYOREN continued to serve as the Secretariat and Mr. Masaaki Sato of ZENGYOREN served as the Secretary General from 1987 to 2009. After Mr. Lee Jong Koo was elected as the fourth Chairman of ICFO, the ICFO Secretariat was transferred to Seoul, Korea. Since 2009, the Fisheries Economic Institute, one of the departments in Korea National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, has been handling the secretariat work.