SOUTH BAY STORIES
San Pedro's Three-Eyed Fish
and One-Eyed Octopus: Still Here After All These Years
Some things around San Pedro have been here so long that you almost forget they're there. Until one day, you stop and realize how much they actually mean to you.
If you've spent any time driving down Gaffey Street toward Point Fermin, you've probably seen them. A goofy-looking fish with three eyes and a big smile, and a little farther down, a one-eyed octopus painted on the side of another concrete structure.
I've been seeing these things since I was a kid.
I was down in San Pedro recently taking pictures for MATTYWAUNA when I stopped to photograph both of them. It's funny how something so simple can bring back memories. They're just a couple of paintings on the side of the road, but to me, they've always been part of San Pedro.
And apparently, there's a pretty interesting story behind them.
The Fish That Wasn't Supposed to Last
The three-eyed fish was originally painted in September 1991 by a local artist named Dave Butkus.
According to a 2019 story in San Pedro Today, Butkus noticed a patch of paint covering graffiti on a concrete wall along Gaffey Street. Something about the shape reminded him of a fish, so he came back with some paintbrushes and turned it into one.
The three eyes weren't just a random idea, either.
Butkus said the fish was inspired by pollution in Los Angeles Harbor during the late 1980s. It was his way of making a statement about what was happening in the water.
He didn't expect the painting to last very long. He figured the city would cover it up within a few weeks.
More than three decades later, it's still there.
Somebody Kept Bringing It Back
One of my favorite things I learned while researching this story is that the fish hasn't always been left alone.
At one point, the city painted over it.
But somebody came back and repainted it.
Over the years, the fish has been touched up, repaired, and changed a little. Local artist Bob Milling was among the people who helped maintain it, and others in the community have stepped in when it needed attention.
Even the blue background wasn't part of the original painting.
Think about that. Something a local guy painted on a concrete wall in 1991 has survived all these years because people cared enough to keep it there.
That's pretty cool.
And What About the Octopus?
A little farther down Gaffey Street is another familiar face: the one-eyed octopus.
I've been seeing that one for years, too.
But unlike the fish, its history is a lot harder to track down.
The octopus was documented online as early as 2013, but I haven't found a reliable answer about who originally painted it or exactly when it appeared.
Somebody reportedly called it "Inky," although I couldn't confirm whether that's an established local nickname.
I'd love to know more about it.
Who painted it? Why an octopus with one eye? Was it inspired by the fish? And how many times has somebody come back to repaint it?
There has to be somebody around San Pedro who remembers.
More Than Just Paint on a Wall
I think that's what I like most about these two paintings.
They're not giant murals. They're not fancy tourist attractions. You could easily drive right past them without giving them a second thought.
But if you grew up seeing them, they're familiar.
They remind you of driving down to the coast, hanging out around Point Fermin, or just being a kid in San Pedro.
And the fact that they've survived this long says something about the neighborhood.
Sometimes the smallest things become the ones people remember.
So next time you're heading down Gaffey Street, take a look.
The three-eyed fish and one-eyed octopus are still there.
And if you know anything about who painted the octopus, or have old photographs of either painting, I'd love to hear about it.
— MATTYWAUNA
Sources & Further Reading
- San Pedro Today — “Fish Out of Water,” April 1, 2019
- K-Squared Ramblings — “The Mutant Three-Eyed Fish of San Pedro,” June 2, 2013
Original mural photography: MATTYWAUNA, October 2026.