This dataset comprises contents of major elements phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) and trace elements uranium (U), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) in sedimentary fish scales obtained from four marine sediment cores collected off Namibia. Additionally, bulk sediment contents of V and Cr were analyzed from the same cores. The sediment cores were retrieved during research cruise AHAB04 in March 2004 in the Benguela Upwelling System. Fish scales were hand-picked from the sediment and cleaned with methanol and Milli-Q water. After drying, samples were digested in a 1:1 mixture of concentrated HNO₃ and HCl at 140 °C for 5 minutes. Uranium, Cr, Ni, and V in the fish scale digests were measured using a triple-quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (iCAP TQ ICP-MS, Thermo Scientific). Calcium and P concentrations were measured via optical emission inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (iCAP PRO ICP-OES, Thermo Scientific). Bulk sediment contents of V and Cr were determined using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (Panalytical Axios Plus).