This review presents the findings of country level studies of fishing fleets of Brazil, Chile, Peru and the United States of America. It showcases the financial and economic information of 21 fishing fleet segments, including shrimp and groundfish trawlers, demersal trawlers, longliners, purse seiners, dredgers as well as hook and line fishing vessels. The report highlights that the financial and economic performance of the fishing fleet segments is not only affected by seafood prices, but also by the fisheries management regime in place, fish species targeted, fish stock status and fishing methods and technologies applied. The age structure of the fishing vessels shows an increasing trend for most of the fishing fleet segments in this review, which adds to the apparent profitability of the vessels as depreciation and interests on loans are minimized.