Cairns fisherman feared taken by a crocodile while crabbing in Portsmith

A full search and rescue operation is underway for a man feared to have been attacked by a crocodile while out crab fishing. 

The 61-year-old Cairns man called his wife to tell her he was going to put out some crab pots in Portsmith before he came home but then never arrived. 

Police officers have contracted a private helicopter to search the area,The Cairns Post has reported.  

It is understood the man finished work nearby on Wednesday afternoon and walked to the creek. 

CCTV footage recorded him leaving work on his way towards the popular crabbing spot. 

After he failed to return home the man’s family and colleagues launched a small hunt for him through Chinaman Creek.

They searched through the dark but were unsuccessful.

His son, who is a keen fisherman, went out early again this morning. 

Acting Senior Sergeant Gil Dyett said the man held a senior position with CSF Steel Fabricators and that the police were treating his disappearance as serious. 

The man held a senior position with CSF Steel Fabricators (pictured) and his colleagues and family members searched for him when he failed to come home 

‘Last night there was a small search and then as a result of him not appearing last night, the matter has escalated and we’ve had to call in some other resources,’ he said.

‘We are treating the mater as serious, we’ve got resources coming in, and obviously with the terrain we have to factor in all possibilities and that will include involvement with crocodiles.’

He said that the police were not assuming that it was a crocodile attack and that they were keeping all avenues open.  

Sergeant Dyett stressed that the operation remained a search and rescue as opposed to a recovery.   

The man’s car was found locked at his workplace on Walter St in Portsmith.