Wildlife officers were expected to venture out into crocodile-infested waters in far north Queensland on Monday evening to search for the large croc thought to have killed a spear fisherman.
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The body of 35-year-old Cairns man Warren Hughes was found about 8am on Monday after being spotted by the Rescue 510 helicopter.
Sergeant Doug Godden said the body had been recovered by police divers just north of Innisfail and had injuries consistent with a crocodile attack.
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection northern wildlife operations manager Dr Matt Brien said the focus had turned to finding and removing the crocodile responsible.
He said a crocodile more than four metres long had charged a search boat on Sunday evening.
The animal was spotted on a bank and when the boat approached it slipped into a side creek before turning and charging the vessel.
The search party retreated to avoid being hit by the animal, with reports from witnesses that it had something in its mouth.
Dr Brien said if the crocodile was found on Monday evening, it would either be relocated or killed. However, if the search failed, traps would be set on Tuesday.
He added the crocodile was displaying strange behaviour, with most of the reptiles usually being very wary of humans.
The animal's aggression may reveal it had killed My Hughes, Dr Brien said.
There were also a spike in reports from the surrounding area at the weekend regarding dogs being attacked by crocodiles as well as an increase in sightings.
Mount Isa MP Robbie Katter called for a crocodile cull before more people were killed.
"There's no question they've got to be culled, nature's got to be brought back in balance," Mr Katter told AAP.
"To say to someone living in north Queensland 'well just be more careful', that's a very callous statement."
However, Dr Brien said the potential solution of culling was a "fallacy" because of the animal's intelligence, mobility and wariness.
Instead, the department was about to begin a new crocodile monitoring program across Queensland, which was set to be the most comprehensive crocodile survey since the early 2000s.
Mr Hughes had been spear fishing alone between Palmer Point and High Island when he disappeared on Saturday.
Police spotted his dinghy and speargun about 6pm, which sparked an air and sea search. It ended on Monday morning when his body was found just south of Palmer Point.
The discovery came as an 18-year-old remained in Cairns Hospital after being mauled by a crocodile in the Johnstone River early Saturday morning.
The man was dared to jump into the croc-infested water by friends, managing to punch the animal and escape, before the animal could pull him into a death-roll.
With AAP
