Crocodile Management

Crocodile Management in Australia is the responsibility of the States. 

In Queensland, the Crocodile Management Plan is the current document.

In the NT however, the State Government is responsible (see details here). Except in areas like Kakadu, which are under Federal Government jurisdiction.

The aim of crocodile management is simple. To reduce the risk of attacks.

But with human populations and croc populations increasing, the chance of interaction is inevitable.

So what can be done?

We chatted with Drew Melville from Harley’s Crocodile Adventures in order to get his opinion.

Because Drew has been working with crocs in captivity since the ’80s.

He was once pulled in by croc and knows only too well the power of these animals.

Which is why crocodile management is so important.

This is the extended version of our chat with Drew.

The highlights and back of house tour of Hartley’s can be found in our recent blog – Crocodiles of Northern Australia.

In fact, we had an amazing experience with a 5.1-metre croc called Leo.

We got up close and personal in a perspex cage.

The moral of that story is not to splash. To see why, watch the Leo video.

Drew is a really entertaining guy and we had a great chat with him about crocodile management and the power of these animals.

Here it is…

Crocodile Management means be croc wise.

While it’s easy to push responsibility onto Government, the best way to stay safe is to be croc wise.

• They can push into freshwater so be vigilant!
• Stay 5 metres from the water’s edge near deep drop-offs especially when fighting a fish.
• Avoid kayaks and jet ski’s (sitting low in the water) in creeks and rivers in Northern Australia.
• Read the crocodile management plan and report large or aggressive crocs.
• Certainly do not feed crocs or leave fish frames etc. on the bank.

We hope you enjoyed the video on crocodile management and talking crocs with Drew.

For more great fishing content take a look at some of our previous posts.