A tight-knit community is in mourning after a 4.5 metre male crocodile was found dead and entangled in fishing equipment.

Port Douglas Yacht Club, in Queensland, announced it was a ‘sad day’ for the Dickson Inlet and Port Douglas habitats after the ‘king of the inlet’ was found floating entangled on a mooring line.

‘However, upon securing him and bringing him ashore it became apparent to us that he was in fact caught up in not one, but two crab pots,’ the club wrote to Facebook on Monday.

‘And then entangled on the rope and steel wires of a mooring line.

A tight-knit community is in mourning after a 4.5 metre male crocodile was found dead and entangled in fishing equipment (pictured)

‘Tragic end to the big fella. He was approx 4.5 metres long and an old boy.’

Distressing pictures showed the ropes tied around the lifeless crocodile’s body.

Club manager Sam Leo told the Cairns Post it took about one hour to untangle the crocodile.

Mr Leo explained crocs are known to get their snouts caught in crab pots.

‘He must’ve gone into a death roll not knowing what was going on because the steel mooring line was wrapped about six times,’ he said.

The manager said the dead reptile was the designated ‘big, dominant’ crocodile in the area.

Port Douglas Yacht Club, in Queensland, announced it was a ‘sad day’ for the Dickson Inlet and Port Douglas habitats after the reptile was found floating entangled on a mooring line

‘From all accounts, he wasn’t an overly aggressive crocodile,’ Mr Leo said.

‘It’s left a large void in the history of big crocs up here. He would’ve been around for decades.’

Mr Leo said club members and the wider sailing community are ‘croc wise’ and understand the environment they are in.

Port Douglas Yacht Club’s Facebook post was flooded with comments paying respect to the crocodile’s life.

‘Not a good ending for poor old fella,’ one read.

‘Those pics are quite disturbing. That’s very sad,’ another commented.

A third said: ‘No king of the inlet.’

‘Tragic end to the big fella. He was approx 4.5 metres long and an old boy,’ Port Douglas Yacht Club said

A number of locals also debated what would happen to the habitat now the king was gone.

‘Removing such a dominant player in an estuary will lead to an interesting power play over the coming months. A tragic shame crab pots and a mooring line were his undoing,’ one person wrote.

Port Douglas Yacht Club replied: ‘Our sentiments exactly. Being the king, who knows what this will bring.’

‘Sad day for the inlet habitat,’ another comment read.

Source: Daily Mail AU