The aim of this work was to study comparatively the oxidative metabolism in gills and liver of a silverside, Odontesthes nigricans, in their natural environment, the Beagle Channel. Oxidative damage to lipids was evaluated by assessing TBARS and lipid radical content, in gills and liver. Gills showed a significantly higher degree of damage than liver. The content of alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene and catalase activity showed significantly higher values in the liver than in the gills. The ascorbyl radical (A(*)) content showed no significant differences between gills and liver. The ascorbate (AH(-)) content was 12+/-2 and 159+/-28 nmol/mg FW in gills and liver, respectively. Oxidative metabolism at the hydrophilic level was assessed as the ratio A(*)/AH(-). The ratio A(*)/AH(-) was significantly different between organs, (6+/-2)10(-5) and (5+/-2)10(-6), for the gills and the liver, respectively. Both, lipid radical content/alpha-tocopherol content and lipid radical content/beta-carotene content ratios were significantly higher in gills as compared to the values recorded for the liver, suggesting an increased situation of oxidative stress condition in the lipid phase of the gills. Taken as a whole, the O. nigricans liver exhibited a better control of oxidative damage than the gills, allowing minimization of intracellular damage when exposed to environmental stressing conditions.