ICLARM, the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, is a relative newcomer to the small group of mission-oriented research organizations concerned with international fisheries. It was organized in 1975 and incorporated in 1977 in the Philippines where it maintains its headquarters. The Rockefeller Foundation developed the concept leading to ICLARM, and remains its principal donor. The rationale behind the Rockefeller initiative was that there appeared to be a need in fisheries for an organization similar to the international agricultural centers which operate under the aegis of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It would be an organization that could conduct long-term coordinated research on the principal fisheries problems in the developing world.