Details are emerging this afternoon that man on holidays in Cooktown may
have been taken by a crocodile on the banks of the Endeavor River.

The man went to check his crab pots early this morning and his wife
raised the alarm when he did not return. Police found the crab pot rope
snapped and a camera on the bank alongside slide marks.

This is a reminder in north Queensland of the ever present danger of
crocodiles. That being said, it was probably a bit silly with the
benefit of hindsight.

Typically, crabbing involves the securing of a carcass be it fish or
other dead animal in a pot. Now doing this close to a bank is really
asking for trouble as they are often slippery and can have deep drop
offs around 5 metres deep.

Our rules here are that you do not clean fish or discard bait scraps
near a boat ramp as this attracts crocodiles. It’s not uncommon for
people to return to their crab pots to find them mangled by crocodiles
or even to see one demolishing one to get at the bait on a mud flat.

Throwing a crab pot into the water near a bank with bait in it is very
similar to discarding scraps at the waters edge. If as it seems this
man was taken by a crocodile, then I wonder how long the crocodile had
been watching him or other fishermen doing the same thing? Crocodiles
are hunters that observe habits of their prey; Mr Fisherman may be able
to fish on one, two or possibly even three occasions in a particular
spot. If he doesn’t vary his location where he fishes, he will become
dinner.

On behalf of all fishermen, I offer my condolences to the wife of the
man that has presumably taken by a crocodile.

I also remind all fishermen to stay at least 3 metres away from the
waters edge and to be aware of what is taking place around you and not
to discard scraps of any kind in the water from the bank.

Update: You can download the EPA pamphlete “Croc Wise in Croc Country” by clicking here.