ALMOST 300 crocodiles were removed from Territory waters in 2015 with more salties being found in places where they never used to occur.

Parks and Wildlife Commission NT wildlife ranger Tom Nichols said crocs were now being found in the northern suburbs and rural areas more often.

“The large crocs have their territory and the younger crocs have to move and that’s why we’re finding them in areas that we haven’t before,” Mr Nichols said.

Mr Nichols said crocs have been found in the northern suburbs.

A permanent trap is now located in Lake Leanyer and has been there for around five years.

Mr Nichols said they catch around eight crocs a year from that trap.

He said the number of crocs being caught as a whole had plateaued over recent years.

“Especially during the wet season, numbers [have] plateaued out,” he said.

However, crocodiles in recent years have been found in more and more places.

This year most of the crocs were caught in the Darwin Harbour where 252 crocodiles were caught and Shoal Bay.

Two crocs both under 2m were removed from Shoal Bay Thursday.

PWCNT wildlife ranger Tom Nichols said this years tally of 290 was just shy of the record made in 2012.

“[The numbers are] slightly more than last year’s total of 287, which was a significant increase on the 2013 tally of 226. The record of 318 in 2012 still stands,” he said.

The traps which caught the highest amount of crocs were situated at East Arm, Woods Inlet and Shoal Bay.

The average size of a captured croc was 2.4m while the largest croc caught this year was removed from the Daly River on March 13 measuring 4.38m.

Mr Nichols warned everyone to remember to BE CROCWISE over the festive season and to note that crocs could be travelling in flooded waterways.

“This means behaving responsibly in and around Territory waters at all times, heeding all safety signs and not putting yourself or others at risk of crocodile attack,” he said.

For more information go to www.nt.gov.au/becrocwise

To report estuarine (saltwater) crocodile sightings in the Darwin region phone 0419 822 859 or in the Katherine region phone 0407 958 405.