This dataset corresponds to the manuscript "Compression and digestion as agents of vertebral deformation in fish: tools to interpret paleontological and archaeological assemblages" by Frontini, Romina, Roselló-Izquierdo, Eufrasia, Morales-Muñiz, Arturo, Denys, Christiane, Guillaud, Émilie, Fernández-Jalvo, Yolanda, Pesquero-Fernández, María Dolores. The article is in process of revision. In this study, the deformation of fish vertebrae due to uniaxial forces is experimentally assessed. Specifically, we report the effects of lateral compaction on fish vertebrae. The aims of the study were: 1) to gain an understanding of compression exerted on the vertebrae from three teleost families of archaeozoological and paleontological relevance (Sciaenidae, Merlucidae, Gadidae), 2) to characterize the nature of alterations on vertebral body due to uniaxial compression under dry and hydrated conditions, and 3) to determine variations of the compression effects on dry and hydrated specimens.