The Department of Environment and Science said the operation to find the animal was challenging and included land and vessel-based patrols over two nights.

“DES wildlife officers, assisted by the Queensland Police Service, located the target animal near Nagir Island during a spotlight patrol on Monday night,” Minister Leeanne Enoch said.

“Difficult tides hampered efforts to approach the animal on the first night, but wildlife officers were able to remove the crocodile at around 10pm last night in a follow-up patrol using a smaller boat.

“This was a challenging operation and involved close cooperation between DES wildlife officers, Torres Shire Council and the Queensland Police Service, who provided invaluable support to achieve a swift outcome. I’d like to thank council and the police for their assistance in this operation.”

Enoch said DES wildlife officers were able to respond quickly, in spite of the remote location, as they were already in the area providing ongoing croc management assistance to Torres Shire Council.

“Torres Shire Council holds a crocodile management authority, and wildlife officers have been working with council officers and Queensland Police to train them in contemporary crocodile management,” she said.

The man remains in hospital in a stable condition.