Behold, Sea Society Committee Member and GIS Wizard André’s Cannibal Bay and Surat Bay Map! There has been some confusion regarding the beaches our Change.org petition targets. Since June 2020, we have been proposing the Clutha District Council restrict vehicles on Cannibal Bay and Surat Bay in the Catlins Coast Inc, to protect their New Zealand sea lion colony.
There are only approximately 300 New Zealand sea lions on mainland New Zealand, all of whom live in the Otago Region and Southland Region. Sadly, we North Islanders are not able to encounter the rarest seal in the world in our backyard!
If you value wildlife existence over human recreational activities on beaches, please sign our petition on Change.org at https://www.change.org/ProtectNewZealandSeaLion and / or write the Clutha District Council at P.O. Box 25, Rosebank Terrace, Balclutha, 9240, to positively encourage them to establish a bylaw similar to the Reserves and Beaches Bylaw 2017 in Dunedin NZ.