The long-haired man was captured at Allans Beach on the Otago Peninsula on September 14 taunting and throwing an object at a group of sea lions, the latest in a spate of wildlife harassment incidents on local beaches.
Doc operations manager Annie Wallace, of Dunedin, said Doc would like to talk to the surfer and his two friends.
"If the individuals can be identified the department is interested in speaking to them."
Ms Wallace reiterated Doc’s advice to stay at least 10m away from resting sea lions, and 20m or more from active animals.
However, a Doc spokeswoman declined to elaborate when asked whether staff were attempting to identify the man, or were relying on the public for help.
This week, several incidents of people harassing protected New Zealand sea lions have come to light, including one at nearby Sandfly Bay, where a young woman danced within metres of a bull, and another at the same beach where a man posed close to a sea lion for a photo.
Otago Peninsula woman Glynis Corson, who captured footage of sea lion harassment at Sandfly Bay, suggested this week airlines should show videos about wildlife safety in conjunction with safety briefings.
Air New Zealand spokeswoman Kelly Kilgour said it had "no current plans to introduce a video specific to wildlife safety".
